The Bond of Brothers
by realflareon
Summary: Six young eevee try to protect each other from those who would separate and abuse them.
1. Prologue

_This story is a fanfic of Pinkeevee222's webcomic, Stupid Short Eevee Comics. Most of the major characters and several of the minor characters belong to her. You can learn more about them by reading through the comic, which can be found fairly easily by googling "ssec comic." I highly recommend that you do so, because she is far better with a pencil than I am. However, you do not need to read the comic in order to enjoy the fanfic, as this story takes place several years before the start of the comic and therefore does not require any prior knowledge of the characters._

 _If you were linked here by Pinkeevee222, be warned that my content will be much darker than hers. As they struggle to overcome their trials, the characters in this story will face a great deal of violence and abuse. Some of them may even die. If that makes you uncomfortable, you may want to reconsider reading this fanfic._

 _But if you like that sort of thing, read on and enjoy the ride. It's going to be a long one (I hope)._

* * *

 **Prologue**

It was nearly noon, and the night was dark.

 _Who has Skychanging duty this week?_ Harmony wondered as she walked up the side of a hill. As the leader of the Box the eevee should have known, but the path up Birdpeck Peak was long and steep, and the effort from the climb was making it hard to think straight. _Well, I know it isn't Night. He wouldn't have made such a blasted mess of the job._ Night was the oldest of Harmony's sixteen sons, and her favorite. Perhaps it was wrong for a mother to prefer one child over the rest, but how could she help it? Night was strong and smart and quick and capable, and a hundred other things. His brothers simply could not compete. Of course, she would never say any of that out loud. As far as her other sons knew, she loved them all equally.

Harmony continued her ascent, panting. She was more than two-thirds of the way to the top, but she was so out of breath, and her legs hurt so badly that she was very tempted to give up and roll to the bottom. Instead, she kept climbing. _I'm not as young as I used to be,_ she reflected as her muscles ached.

She was not the only one aging, however. Just two weeks ago, Harmony's trainer had deemed the eevee's mate, Rick the buneary, to be too old to continue his work as a breeder. Harmony did not miss him. They had been making eggs together for more than two years, but she had never been able to love him. Not like she loved her children. Not like she loved Night. Rick had been nothing to her but a way to make kits.

His time was up now, but Harmony's was not. If she was fortunate, she would still be fertile for another decade. With a younger male, she might have another hundred children before she was finished. _Who knows?_ she thought. _One of them may even be a daughter._ Harmony had wanted a little girl ever since she was very young, but eevee were far more likely to hatch male than female. The odds stated that at least one or two of her sixteen sons should have been a daughter instead, but luck had not been on her side these past few years. But the gods had given her Night, so could she truly complain?

 _Night,_ she thought. He was the reason that she was making the trek up this hill. When she had awoken earlier this morning and realized that dawn was coming late, she had decided to wait for daybreak at the top of Birdpeck Peak. Its apex was the highest point in Box Four, and from it you could see the entirety of the cube of land they lived in. That meant that, when the sun finally came and filled the world with light, she would be able to spot Night and go to him as early as possible. Today was an important day, after all, and she needed to have a talk with her son.

The prospect of that conversation filled her with anxiety, and she began to feel a bit sick. _Night would never refuse me,_ she told herself, but what if she was wrong? It was entirely possible that he would laugh in her face when she went to ask him. He had every right to do so. Harmony could not force him to agree. _He would not do that. You worry too much._ Either way, Harmony had been putting this off for more than a week, and she could not stall any longer. She knew that her trainer was starting to grow impatient with her.

Harmony needed to pick a new mate very soon.

At last, blessedly, she reached the top of the hill…and found that someone was already there.

"Oliver?" she said.

Her youngest son had been watching the stars, but he turned toward Harmony when he heard his name called.

"Mother," he acknowledged, staring at her with pale red eyes that were unnerving to look at. _Perhaps they'll change color as he grows._ Like Harmony, and all of the residents of Box Four, Oliver was an eevee. He was not quite two months old, yet he could walk and talk almost as well as an adult. Pok _é_ mon matured far more quickly than humans, and their language did not need to be taught.

"What are you doing up here?" Harmony asked. She had been hoping to spend some time alone, so she could compose herself and think about what she wanted to say to Night. Apparently, that wasn't going to happen. She was annoyed, but she did not let it show on her face.

"Hiding from Stan," Oliver said, returning his gaze to the stars. "He won't leave me alone."

Harmony knew that Stan and his friends bullied the others quite often. _I should probably put a stop to that,_ she thought, but she knew that she would most likely end up forgetting. It was hard for her to feel motivated if Night was not involved. Thinking about that made her feel guilty, so she decided to change the subject. "Do you know who's in charge of the sky today? The morning is late."

"I don't know for sure," Oliver said. "Fred, I think. Or Pete."

 _Yes,_ Harmony thought. _It was Fred, I remember now._ He never took anything seriously. Harmony would need to find him and talk some sense into him at some point. But not today. There were more important things to do today.

"I'll sit with you," she told Oliver, and moved over beside him. He leaned into her side, and Harmony smiled down at him. She _did_ love him, just…perhaps not as much as she should have.

They sat for a long time and talked about whatever random thoughts entered their minds. The minutes melted away, and before Harmony knew it nearly an hour had passed. She barely even noticed when the sky began to change.

The moon did not set. Rather, it simply began to _fade_ away into nothingness. The darkness went with it, and the black sky slowly turned a light blue. Then the sun appeared where the moon had been, and Harmony had to shade her eyes from the brightness.

 _Finally,_ she thought as she rose and stretched. Her legs were still tired from the climb.

"You're leaving?" Oliver asked.

Harmony surveyed the land below them for a sign of her oldest son. "I need to go speak with Night," she said.

"Oh. Okay." He sounded sad.

"We'll spend more time together soon," Harmony promised. Then she gasped. "There he is!"

Even from a mile away, Harmony could make them out. The twins. There were six of them, all walking together toward the Unnamed Forest in the northwest corner of the Box.

She began to sprint down the hill, not bothering to say goodbye to Oliver. In her haste to get to Night, she forgot that she was sore.

Aside from a few high hills, the Unnamed Forest, and the lake to the east, Box Four was comprised entirely of grassy plains. Harmony barreled across the lush green ground, barely taking in any of the scenery. She started to pant, but she kept running anyway.

After about ten minutes, she was close enough for them to hear her. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and compose herself, then yelled, " _Night!_ "

The twins stopped, and all of them turned to face her. These six were Harmony's oldest sons, and they were inseparable. Twins were far more common among pokémon than humans, but the fact that Harmony had given birth to three sets in a row was still bizarre. Harmony walked toward them at a more leisurely pace, until they were only a few yards apart.

Night stepped forward, smiling, and said, "Good morning, Mother." Her son wore a silver bell around his neck, held there by a blue ribbon. He had darker fur than most eevee, and his eyes were a yellow so bright they were almost glowing.

 _He already looks like an umbreon,_ Harmony reflected, though he had not evolved yes. Perhaps that was why he had decided to become one. Night had made that choice when he was only a few weeks old, and he had picked his name at the same time. Because they could talk almost as soon as they were born, pokémon usually named themselves. Many chose names that were fitting for their species, or the species that they would evolve into. Others, like Harmony and Oliver, just used a name that sounded good to them.

Harmony said, "Will you walk with me, Night? I'd like to speak with you alone." The queasy feeling returned to her stomach. _This is it,_ she thought. _I'm about to ask him._

Night glanced back at the others. "We were gonna go play in the woods…"

"It won't take long," Harmony assured him. "You can play afterwards."

"All right."

The two of them left the other five, who decided to wait there for Night's return.

"So," Harmony said as they walked, not entirely sure how to begin, "how has your morning been, Night?"

Night's eyes lit up with child-like wonder. "It's been really fun!" he started, quickly and fervently. "When we all woke up we decided to play tag. We could barely see because it was so dark. It was _really_ cool! Then Flame and Jay started fighting and the rest of us got to watch! Then Blizz said something really funny, but I don't remember what it was. Now we're gonna race through the woods!"

Harmony smiled as he rambled. When he was finished, she said, "It sounds like you've had an exciting day. But you're growing up, son. Maybe it's time to spend less time playing and start thinking about the future."

"What do you mean?" Night asked, looking up at her.

 _Where to begin?_ Harmony thought. "Do you know how eggs are made, Night?"

He shook his head.

"It happens when a male and a female love each other," Harmony explained. "You do know what love is, yes?"

Night nodded eagerly. "Of course I do! I love Sky!"

Harmony could not hold back her laughter. Sky was Night's twin. "I don't mean brotherly love. I mean…" How could she explain it? "I mean the sort of thing you feel when you're with someone very special. Someone you want to be with forever. Not because they're your family, but because their personality matches yours, because you like their body, because you care about them and they care about you." She took a deep breath. "That's…that's how I feel about you, Night. I love you. I want you to be my mate. Do you…feel the same way?" Her heart fluttered in her chest. She had actually _done_ it! She had asked him!

"No," said Night.

His answer was like a slap in the face. For a long time she did not say anything. "But…"

Night stopped walking and looked at her. "I love Sky."

"What?" Harmony said in a shaky voice. "Sky is your _twin!_ He's your _brother!_ He can't be your mate."

"Why?" Night asked. His yellow eyes were full of genuine curiosity. "Those things you said about love…that's how I feel when I think of Sky. And he feels that way about me, too. I know he does."

Harmony stuttered as she tried to speak, holding back tears. "Everyone will call you unnatural." Incest was fairly common among pokémon, especially those who belonged to trainers, but for a pokémon to mate with his twin? His _male_ twin? That was absurd. Disgusting.

"So?" Night said. "Why should I care what they say?"

"Because…" Harmony was panicking, and she could not think of a good answer.

"I love him, Mother," Night said. "He loves me. I want to be happy with him. Please…" There was something in his voice that Harmony did not understand.

"This is all wrong," Harmony said, doing her best to compose herself. "You and Sky must be kept apart. I will send Sky away, and you and I-"

" _No!_ " Night yelled, and Harmony froze. "Please, Mother! Don't send him away. I _love_ him!" It was the first time that Harmony had ever seen him defy her.

"I…I need to think about this," she said. "Go on and play with your brothers, Night. We'll talk tomorrow."

Her son gave her one last pitiable look, then left. Harmony watched him go, completely baffled. _What just happened?_ she thought. That was _not_ how she had been expecting that conversation to go. _My son…my son is a_ freak _._

But it wasn't his fault, was it? Night was _perfect_ , she knew he was. _It was Sky who corrupted him,_ Harmony decided. _He ruined my perfect son._ It was obvious, now that she thought about it. Sky was poison, and poison had no place in her family.

Harmony found herself walking toward the center of the Box, where the control room was. There, the pokémon were able to travel between Boxes or leave the PC. Fortunately, it was only a couple of miles away, and she reached it within the hour.

The control room was a shack, the kind that humans built. It was made of steel, and there was nothing inside but a large mechanical panel built into the back wall. The machine had almost a hundred buttons and levers and switches on it, and every one had its own purpose. Some of the buttons determined if the weather would be snowy or rainy or sunny, and one of the levers changed night to day and day to night. The week's Skychanger was supposed to come here at certain times every day to bring about the sunrise and sunset.

But Harmony was not here to change the weather or the time. She looked up at the top of the wall, and found that the light there was green. That was good; a green light meant that the pokémon could enter and leave the PC as they pleased. If the light had been red, then only their trainer could put them in and bring them out. Harmony was glad that her trainer gave her pokémon so much freedom.

She stepped up and pressed her paw against the big red button in the center of the panel. There was a flash of light, and she was gone.


	2. Night 1

**Night**

"She tried to explain _mating_ to me," Night said incredulously as the six brothers made their way through the dimly lit forest. "How could she possibly think I don't know what _mating_ is? Does she think I'm stupid?"

Flame turned his head and grinned mischievously. "You _are_ stupid, Night."

"Don't be mean," scolded Bolt, Flame's twin. He turned to Night and said, "Anyway, Mother doesn't think you're stupid. Just ignorant. She hasn't realized that you aren't a kit anymore. I guess she's still holding on to this belief that you're pure and innocent. She thinks you're _perfect_ , Night."

"Though only Arceus knows why," Flame quipped with his usual lazy demeanor.

" _Flame,_ " Bolt warned, but Night was not offended. He had long since grown used to his brother's jokes.

Blizz laughed. "He has a point, Bolt. Night isn't perfect. You're smarter and I'm stronger and Jay is cuter, so why should he get all of Mother's love?" Blizz was the second-youngest of the six, only a few days older than his twin Jay, yet he was the largest of them all. He even towered over Night. His love of food had made him chubby as well, and that had not helped matters.

"It's not like I asked for it," Night grumbled. He had hoped that acting childish around Harmony would stop her from seeing him as a potential mate. Obviously, that plan had failed. "I thought we had more time. I only needed another few weeks."

"What did you two talk about, exactly?" Bolt asked. "Tell us everything you can remember."

Night did so. As they walked, he spoke of the conversation he had with Harmony, listing off every detail he could recall.

By the time he was finished, Bolt was frowning. He said, "You rejected her, then. And told her about you and Sky. Was that smart?"

"Probably not," Night admitted, "but I don't think I had much choice. If I had played along and accepted, she probably would have had me put an egg in her tonight."

"She wants to send me away?" Sky asked in a small voice. He was always quiet and timid, even when it was just the six of them. Like his twin he wore a bell around his neck, but his was gold with a pink ribbon. Night did not fully understand how they worked, but he knew that the bell would one day allow Sky to evolve into an espeon, just as Night's would allow him to become an umbreon.

"Nothing is sure yet," Night told his twin. "I bought us a day's time by begging, but she wants to talk again tomorrow. I think that's when she'll make up her mind."

"You won't let her separate us, will you?" Sky asked. He looked like he was going to cry.

Night stepped closer to him and nuzzled against his neck. "Of course not."

Blizz said, "How will you convince Mother to leave you two alone?"

"I won't," Night said, lifting his head from Sky's fur. "We're going to do something else."

Jay's ears perked up. "Ooh, Night has a _plan!_ Night, Night! Tell me what it is! Tell me, I want to _know!_ " He was shaking with excitement.

"Quiet down, Jay," Bolt commanded. "I already told you not to talk until we reach the clearing. You can't control the volume of your voice, and we can't afford to be overheard."

Jay's ears drooped back down. "Oh. Sorry." He was the youngest of the six, and by far the smallest. Jay was the runt of the family, which was especially strange considering the size of his twin. But what he lacked in mass, he made up for in enthusiasm; even the most mundane topics could fascinate and excite him.

"I _do_ have a plan," Night said. "But Bolt is right. Mother may have sent someone to follow us and eavesdrop, and if so I don't want them knowing all my secrets. Let's not talk about it for now."

And so the conversation shifted to far more pleasant topics. Night listened as Flame and Jay both went on about some new toy that they hoped their trainer would get for them. Blizz occasionally got a sentence in as well, and every once in a while Bolt would interrupt to scold someone. Night and Sky both kept silent, staying very close to each other as the twins walked through the Unnamed Forest.

They came to the clearing fifteen minutes later. It was a very odd place that Night and Sky had found before Bolt and Flame had even hatched. There was a single tall oak tree in its center, surrounded by a field of lush green grass. For about five hundred feet in every direction from the oak, no trees grew. The result was a tree line that formed an almost perfect circle around the clearing. Night was so used to life inside the PC that he often forgot that it was all just an electronic simulation, but things like this worked as a reminder.

"Well?" Jay asked as soon as they left the forest behind. "What's your plan, Night? Tell us!"

"It's simple, really," Night said. His original plan had been anything but simple. For the past several months, Night had been teaching himself how to read the language of humans. At first he thought it would be impossible, but eventually he managed to memorize the alphabet, and after that he had learned a few words. That was as far as he had gotten, though. He practiced for an hour or more every single day, but he was nowhere close to being able to read fluently.

Night had been planning to escape the PC with Sky as soon as he was done learning. Once they were gone, he would have used his newfound knowledge to survive out in the real world. He didn't know _how_ exactly knowing the human language would help him, but surely a pokémon that was able to read and write would not go hungry.

But that was all ruined now, thanks to Harmony. _Why couldn't you have waited just a bit longer, Mother? I was so close to getting away. I was almost ready._

"Don't leave us hanging," Blizz said. "What are you gonna do?"

Night snapped out of his thoughts. By then they had reached the oak tree in the middle of the clearing. There was no chance of being overheard here, with no other trees to hide behind. "I'm not going to talk with Mother tomorrow. Sky and I need to leave. Tonight."

For a moment, everyone was silent. Then they all started to protest at once.

"Tonight?" Flame asked in a voice devoid of his usual sarcasm.

"You _can't_ leave tonight," Bolt said. "You haven't prepared or packed or anything!"

Jay said, "But if you leave tonight, I'll miss you!"

Night let them talk. Once they had all settled down, he said, "For all we know, Mother could have Sky shipped away first thing tomorrow morning. I won't risk that. Complain all you want, you won't change my mind."

"When will you go?" Blizz asked.

"As soon as the sun sets," Night replied. "Sky and I will spend the rest of the day getting ready. We'll need to figure out where we're going, and what we're taking with us. And he and I need to talk." _Alone,_ he almost said. There were some secrets he thought they should keep even from the other four, but it would have been rude to say so.

Thankfully, Bolt understood. He said, "Flame, Blizz, Jay, come on. Let's give these two some time alone."

"Time alone?" Flame said. "Ooh, I bet they're gonna _kiss!_ "

Bolt had finally had enough of his twin's antics. "Your brothers are going through a lot, Flame. I doubt they want to hear your jokes. _Shut your mouth and come with me._ "

Flame looked taken aback. "Jeez, I was just kidding…" He began to walk after his twin.

"Come on, you two," Bolt said, looking to Jay and Blizz. Then he turned to Night and said, "We'll be back soon."

Jay pouted. "But we _just_ got finished walking here. My paws hurt…"

Without a word, Blizz used his mouth to grab the scruff of Jay's neck, then hoisted him through the air and onto his back. Jay shrieked with joy, and the two followed Bolt and Flame out of the clearing.

And then they were alone.

Sky looked into Night's eyes. "I'm scared," he confessed.

"So am I," Night said. Escaping from Mother and living on their own had always sounded exciting whenever they discussed it, but now that it was actually happening it just seemed…dangerous.

"Have you practiced your reading at all?" Night asked.

"A little," Sky said. "But the letters are so confusing." He shook his head. "I don't see how you're able to do it so easily."

"It just takes practice. You at least need to learn how to spell your new name."

Sky looked away.

Night frowned. "You _have_ decided on a new name, right?"

"Do we really need to do that?" Sky asked. "I like my name. I've had it my whole life. Taking a new one feels wrong."

"I know," Night said, "but Mother will probably send someone after us once she realizes that we're gone. It won't be very good if all they have to do to find us is ask if anyone has seen two eevee named 'Night' and 'Sky'. At least with fake names, we can buy ourselves some extra time."

Sky nodded. "It's logical, I know. It still feels weird, though, doesn't it? When I call you 'Dusk,' isn't that strange to you?"

"It was at first, yeah. But I'm starting to get used to it." Weeks had passed since he had told Sky his new name.

"There is a name I was thinking of," Sky said. "Do you think I could be Sora?" He looked embarrassed as he said it, as if he was afraid that Night might laugh at him.

"Sora," Night said, testing the word. "I like it. It's a good name." He smiled at his twin, and his twin smiled back.

After that the two eevee named Dusk and Sora sat huddled together and began to make plans for their new life.


	3. Oliver 1

**Oliver**

Hours had passed since his mother's departure, but Oliver still sat atop Birdpeck Peak, watching the clouds as they drifted lazily across the blue.

Looking at the sky was not the most exciting hobby in the world, but at least it was safe. With Stan lurking around, he needed all the safety he could get. Oliver could still feel the scratches his brother had given him during their last confrontation. _It could have been worse,_ he told himself, as though that made it better. _He could have given me to Caro._

Oliver sighed and tried to clear his head. Thinking of Stan made him nervous. Instead he thought about the time he had just spent with Mother. He knew her secret—that she cared far more for Night than the rest of them. Most of his brothers did not seem to notice, but to Oliver it was obvious. If she truly loved them all equally, then why hadn't she stopped Stan from bullying him? Still, it had been nice to sit and talk with her, even for a short time. It had been a long time since anyone had shown him any affection at all. Oliver was friendless, and not by choice. Stan made sure that anyone who was too nice to him ended up regretting it. Well, except the twins. Those six were always kind to Oliver, and Stan was obviously too scared of them to do anything about it. _I should start hanging out with them,_ he thought. _I bet they'll let me, if I ask. Night would-_

His thoughts were cut short when he heard the voices. They were loud and obnoxious, and Oliver knew them well. Stan's group was walking up the hill. For a moment he thought about running, but he knew it would do no good. Once they reached the top, they would see him sneaking down and chase after him. There was nothing to but wait as they came up behind him.

When the voices cut off, he knew that he had been spotted. Oliver braced himself, then rose and turned to face them. There were four of them, as always. Stan stood proudly in the center, the undisputed leader of the gang. To his left was Split, another of Oliver's brothers, and at his right side was Caro the poochyena. Lem lurked several feet behind those three, a nervous look on his face.

He heard Stan say, "Look who we have here."

Caro laughed. "The freak." The poochyena was the only one present who was not related to Oliver. He didn't live in Box Four with the eevee, but he visited almost every day.

"We've been looking for you all morning," said Split, who got his name from the big ugly birthmark that ran down the middle of his face.

"I've never done anything to you," Oliver said, forcing his voice to stay strong. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"You know why," said Stan. "You're not natural. Your eyes are red."

"So are his," Oliver said, looking at Caro. It was not the first time he had pointed it out.

"All Poochyena have red eyes," Split explained. "But eevee? No. If an eevee has red eyes, they're evil. Everyone knows that."

"They're only eyes," Oliver pleaded.

"I think I'll take one home with me," said Caro. "One quick pluck and half his evil will be gone. I'll leave him the other one. For now." He took a step forward, a hungry look on his face…

But Split went over and blocked his way. "No. He may be a freak, but he's still my brother."

"And mine," said Stan, who looked slightly disturbed by Caro's suggestion. "Nothing permanent. Mother would never forgive us, and our trainer wouldn't either." Then he stalked toward Oliver until they were so close that their noses were almost touching. "But a bit of blood won't hurt anyone."

The first blow came blindingly fast. Stan's claw raked at Oliver's face and left behind a trail of red pain. The second strike came just as quickly, this time at his chest. Oliver made no attempt to defend himself. He had made that mistake during his first beating, and learned that it did nothing but make Stan even angrier. It was best just to stand there and take it. He tried to disappear inside his mind, to think about anything that would let him ignore the pain as his brother continued attacking. It did not work.

Finally, after an agonizingly long time, it ended. Stan ended his onslaught, rose, and backed off, leaving Oliver to bleed on the ground, half-conscious.

"Let me have a turn," Caro urged.

Stan frowned. "I don't want him dead. He's had enough for one day."

"You said the same thing last week. I want a go at him."

"Next time," Stan promised. Then he turned to Lem and said, "Take care of him. And don't let Mother find out about this."

Lem flinched at the command. Evidently he had been hoping that nobody would notice him. "I-I'll take him to Agga," he said in a small, timid voice. "She's in Box Seven, she can patch him up." The eevee were allowed to visit the other Boxes as they pleased. They were supposed to come back before nightfall, but Harmony never bothered to check.

"Do it, then," said Stan. "Caro, Split, let's go. We're done here." He began to walk away, and his cronies followed at his heels.

"I'm sorry, Olly," Lem said once the other three were gone. "I hate it when they hurt you, it's just…I'm sorry."

 _You could have stopped them,_ Oliver thought as his brother helped him down the hill. _You're older and bigger than all three, and probably stronger too. Or you could have ran and gotten help, if you're too much of a coward to fight._ He stayed silent, though. When you were friendless, it was best not to make enemies.


	4. Jay 1

_**A/N:** Starting now, I'll be posting a new chapter every Saturday. I may update at other times as well, but I will always upload a chapter on Saturday._

* * *

 **Jay**

They walked through the Unnamed Forest for almost an hour before heading back to the clearing. Jay spent most of the trip on his twin's back, giggling madly the entire time. But eventually Blizz grew tired from the ride, and after that Jay had to walk.

Night and Sky had finished talking by the time they returned. When Jay and the other three came upon them, they were cuddling silently beneath the lone oak in the center of the clearing.

"Took you long enough," Night said as they approached. He had been sitting, but now he rose. "We nearly left without saying goodbye."

"It's only a few hours past noon," said Blizz. "I thought you weren't leaving until sunset."

"We aren't leaving the _PC_ until sunset," Night corrected. "But we can't stay in this forest all day. There are some things Sky and I need to do before we go."

"Go do them," Bolt said. "Then come find us, and we'll say our farewells."

Night shook his head. "There won't be time. Sky and I will need to head off as soon as we're finished."

"You're leaving us _now?_ " Jay blurted out. That was too awful to believe. He had thought that they would at least be able to spend a few more hours together.

"I guess we are," Night said. He stooped down to lick him on the forehead. "Don't be sad, Jay. We'll meet again someday."

Jay believed that wholeheartedly; he knew that his brother wouldn't lie to him. So why couldn't he stop the tears from welling up in his eyes? He turned away so that Night wouldn't see him cry.

Flame said, "It will be a lot lonelier without you guys. Us four will have to find some new friends." He spoke in a jovial voice, but Jay could tell that it was forced. "But I don't think it'll be easy to replace you two. Stay safe, Night. And you, Sky."

Sky nodded, but did not say a word. He only watched silently as his twin moved from one brother to the next. When Night was finished with Flame, he went on to Blizz, and then to Bolt. Once he had spoken to them all, he said, "It's time to go," and started to lead Sky away. The other four watched as Night and Sky walked away from them toward the tree line, then disappeared into the forest. And then they were gone. Jay wondered how long it would be until they saw each other again.

The remaining eevee sat together, and nobody said a word. Somberness hung in the air around them like a thick fog.

But Jay and his brothers were young and excitable, and the silence did not last long. In a few minutes, they began to talk again. A few more, and the conversation turned more cheery. Before long, Flame and Jay were laughing and jumping around while their twins watched.

The clearing was a fun place to play, since there were no trees or anything to get in the way. It also looked a little bit like an arena, and for some reason that made all the eevee very excited. Sure enough, within twenty minutes Flame challenged Jay to a duel. Few days passed where the two of them did not spar. Flame always won, but it was still fun, so Jay didn't mind.

"Maybe you two shouldn't fight each other so much," Bolt said. "It was fine when you were younger, but now you're growing up, and your claws are getting sharper. Someone might get hurt."

"It's no fun if there's no danger," Flame insisted. "Just go stand over there and judge."

Everyone took their places on the impromptu battlefield. Jay stood ten yards from Flame, and Bolt was off to the side with Blizz, watching.

"I'm the strongest member of the Elite Four!" Jay shouted, stomping a paw on the ground. They always pretended to be someone strong and important when they wrestled.

"And I'm the challenger who'll strike you down!" Flame yelled. He bent down on his front paws, as if readying himself to pounce. His tail wagged back and forth, and there was an eager look in his eyes. Flame's sarcastic personality seemed to completely disappear whenever he played.

Bolt called out the signal to begin.

At first, their movements were slow and precise. When one took a step left, the other took a step right. Their eyes were glued to each other, searching for a weakness. A minute passed, but they were still five yards apart.

Their fights always started like this. They couldn't attack from a distance, since neither of them knew any elemental attacks. _When I evolve I'm going to learn all sorts of moves,_ Jay thought as he stalked his brother. That probably wouldn't happen for a long time, but since he wasn't sure what he wanted to evolve into yet, that didn't matter. When he _did_ make that decision, he would have to change his name to fit his future form, just as Flame and Bolt and Blizz had.

Suddenly, Flame charged forward. Jay felt a familiar jolt of panic, but he stood his ground, getting ready to counter. As his brother got closer, he forgot about everything but the battle. Night and Sky and Mother no longer mattered.

And then Flame was right in front of him. The bigger eevee raised his right paw to strike. Jay just barely managed to duck under the blow, then sprang up and used his own paw to claw at Flame's side. Fortunately, the scratch connected. Flame let out a grunt of pain and leapt backward. It had been a light, quick hit, hard enough to hurt but not draw blood.

"Good one, Jay," Blizz called from the sidelines. "You're getting better."

"But I'm still the best," Flame said, coming forward for another try.

The older brother moved much more quickly this time. Jay liked to think that his small size made him fast, but his speed was nothing compared to Flame's. Every time Jay tried to strike, the other eevee dodged it, and every time Flame attacked, he scored a direct hit. His brother had only been testing him with the first scratch, Jay realized, but now his pride was at stake.

It was not long before Jay was knocked to the ground. He didn't think he was bleeding, but he hurt all over, and would surely have a dozen bruises tomorrow.

Flame stood over him, looking triumphant. "See?" he said, turning his head to look at Bolt and Blizz. "I told you I'm the best." A cocky grin appeared on his face.

For some reason the smile made Jay absurdly angry. He had never felt bad for losing before, but now he felt his tiny body fill up with rage. Maybe it was because he had just lost two brothers, or maybe it was something else.

Either way, the anger made him act. He kicked out at Flame's legs. His brother made a surprised noise and stumbled a bit. Before he could recover, Jay was on his feet, and he pounced at Flame. The other put a paw up in the air as he tried to regain his balance, but Jay batted it away rather easily, and he hit Flame at full force. The impact knocked them both to the ground, and this time it was Jay on top. Flame struggled hard, but somehow Jay kept him from rising. Even now the rage fueled him. He lifted his paw and scratched at Flame's face as hard as he could. His brother yelped, but that did not stop him. He scratched again and again and again until his claws were red with blood.

It did not end until Blizz dragged him away. Jay tried to get out of his twin's grasp, but Blizz held him firmly. _No, let me go, I need to attack, I need to fight,_ he thought, still seeing red.

But then he heard Flame's whimpering, and that cooled his blood. He stopped struggling, but Blizz did not let go of him.

"I _told_ you this was a bad idea," Bolt said in a worried voice, standing over his twin and inspecting his wounds.

Flame muttered something, but Jay couldn't hear what it was.

"Come on, I'll get you cleaned up," Bolt said. He helped Flame stand, and Jay saw with horror that his face was a bloody mess.

"I-I'm _sorry_ , Flame," Jay stuttered as they passed by him. "I don't know what came over me."

Flame looked up at him…and laughed. In a weak voice, he said, "Now you all know why I got kicked off the trainer's main team. I can't even beat Jay anymore!" Then he let Bolt lead him out of the clearing. Blizz finally let go of Jay once the two of them were alone.

"What did I just _do?_ " Jay asked, ashamed.

"Don't worry about it," Blizz told him. "It was just the heat of battle. It affects everyone sometimes. Flame didn't even sound mad." Then he chuckled. "To be honest, that was pretty funny to watch. I've never seen that side of you before."

"Neither have I," Jay said, and sighed. He still felt bad, despite his twin's words.

"Anyway," Blizz said, "I've been wanting to get you alone for a while, so I guess this is a good opportunity. I have a present for you."

Jay felt his ears perk up involuntarily. Suddenly he forgot all about Flame. "You do?" Blizz's presents were usually food, and Jay loved food almost as much as his twin did.

"Yeah. Come on, it's in the house."

It took them more than an hour to exit the forest. They probably could have made better time, but they went slowly so that they wouldn't catch up with Bolt and Flame. Blizz said that they would want some of the gift if they knew about it.

Once they had left the trees behind, they still had to go all the way to the control room. The other twins were long gone by then, so they decided to move at a quicker pace. Jay sprinted the whole way, but Blizz was so much larger that he barely had to jog to keep pace with him. They passed a few of their other brothers on the way, but they did not stop to chat.

Finally, after almost two hours of traveling, they reached the room in the center of Box Four. Blizz stepped forward and pushed the big red button in the center of the panel. A flash of white light enveloped them, so bright that Jay had to close his eyes. When he opened them again, he was elsewhere.

The floor beneath him was soft carpet, and the walls were painted blue. The PC sat on a desk behind them. In the corner was a bed with messy white sheets. This was their trainer's bedroom, Jay knew, though she was not here at the moment. The PC always spat them out here, unless their trainer was traveling to another city.

"I hid it in the kitchen," Blizz said, pushing the bedroom door open with his paw.

As they made their way through the house, Jay noticed that all the lights were off. "Nobody's home," he commented. That was strange. Usually the trainer's parents would be here at this hour.

"Huh. You're right. I would've thought _someone_ would be here. Oh well. At least nobody will catch us sneaking food."

"So the present _is_ food?" Jay grinned.

Blizz laughed. "You know me too well." By then they had reached the kitchen, and they walked over to the open pantry. "I hid it up there, behind those cans. Nobody ever touches that stuff. But…well, I kind of had to toss it to get it that high up. If I lift you, do you think you can reach?"

"Probably." Jay began to wonder this was really supposed to be a present, or if Blizz just needed someone to get it for him. Well, Jay was going to get a share of it either way, so he supposed it didn't matter.

He had to stand on his hind legs while on Blizz's back, but in the end he was able to get to it. He used his paw to bat the package out from behind the cans and knock it onto the floor. Jay jumped off of his twin's back to inspect it. He couldn't read the human words, but he instantly recognized the cartoon magikarp on the front of the bag.

" _Fishy crackers!_ " Jay said, his mouth open in awe. Jay _loved_ fishy crackers. "Where did you get these?" Their trainer almost never bought them.

"Stole 'em from the store down the street. The humans chased me, but I was faster." He ripped the bag open with his teeth and spilled the crackers onto the floor. "Well, let's dig in."

The brothers ate, and it was wonderful. Weeks had passed since Jay's last meal. In the PC, pokémon didn't need food. All of their basic needs were automatically taken care of by the machine. That was nice, and no doubt very convenient for their trainer, but Jay did miss eating sometimes.

As always, Jay ended up getting a lot less than Blizz. He didn't complain, though; it seemed fair, since Blizz was so much bigger.

"Should we go back now?" Jay asked once they were finished licking the salt and crumbs off the floor.

"Nah," Blizz said. "Someone probably saw us leave. They might ask why we're back so soon. We could get in trouble with Mother if she finds out about this."

Jay got the feeling that they would all be in trouble with Mother tomorrow morning, as soon as she found out that Night and Sky were missing. But he didn't want to think about that. "What _should_ we do, then?"

"I dunno. Let's go for a walk, I guess."

Blizz picked up the wrapper and put it in the nearby trash can. Then the two of them headed out of the unlocked door that led to the backyard. They crossed the lawn and jumped over the short fence, landing on a sidewalk. A few cars passed on the road beside them.

The neighborhood was a small suburb on the outskirts of Jubilife City. If they walked several miles left from here, the twins would eventually come upon a cliff that overlooked a forest far larger than the one in Box Four. Going right would lead them to the more industrial area of Jubilife. But it would take hours and hours to reach the end of either path, and the twins only needed to kill a short amount of time. They ended up going right, though it didn't really matter.

As Blizz and Jay walked, they talked about food, toys, and everything else unimportant. Jay made sure not to bring up Night and Sky, or his fight with Flame back in the clearing.

Some time went by. The brothers passed countless houses and several crosswalks. The sun was already dipping below the horizon, and the sky was turning to dusk. _They'll be leaving soon,_ Jay thought.

Just as they were about to round a corner at an intersection, Blizz froze. "Do you hear those voices?" he asked, so quietly that Jay could barely hear.

Jay listened. Mimicking his twin's whisper, he said, "Yeah. I hear them." They were coming from the other side of the corner they would soon pass. "So? Lots of people go on walks."

"They don't sound like they want to be overheard. We should hide and wait for them to pass. Come on." Blizz began to walk quickly toward a bush in a nearby lawn.

"Why?" Jay asked. "It might be Night and Sky. Or maybe it's that human girl who gives us poffins sometimes."

"Or it could be Mother." Blizz grabbed Jay with his mouth and dragged him into the bushes just as the owners of the voices came into view.

Blizz had been right, Jay saw. It _was_ Mother, and she wasn't alone. Peering through the bush, he saw another, older eevee beside her, speaking to her like an old friend. But that wasn't the strange part. Another creature walked behind them. It was the same size as the other two, and it walked on four legs, but it was pink and fleshy, like a human. Jay had never seen this type of pokémon before.

"Are you sure about this, Harmony?" asked the eevee that Jay did not recognize. She was a dozen yards away and spoke quietly, but Jay's ears were strong, and he could just barely make out her words.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Mother said as the three walked.

"He is your son."

"No," Mother replied, "he's not. Not anymore."

The pink thing said, "That is good to hear. I would not have been pleased to have my time wasted." The three continued walking down the sidewalk, getting closer to the bushes that the twins hid in.

"What is that thing?" Jay whispered.

Blizz squinted his eyes. "It's…an eevee," he breathed back.

That didn't make sense. Eevee were brown, and they had fur. Everyone knew that. But Jay looked again, and on closer inspection he was surprised to see that Blizz was right. It _was_ an eevee, only it was bald. Why was it bald? _Is that how I would look with no fur?_ Jay wondered. He hoped to never find out.

"You will lead me to your trainer's house, then?" the furless eevee wanted to know. Now they were only a few feet away from the twins. Jay was afraid to even breathe. He didn't know why, but this all felt very dangerous.

They passed by the bushes as Harmony said, "I will. I've made sure that nobody will be home for the next few hours. We'll head that way once the moon is fully risen."

"That will work."

After that the three eevee continued walking, but none of them said a word. They kept going for several hundred feet, then rounded another corner and disappeared from view.

After a few minutes, Blizz said it was safe to leave the bushes. By then the sky had turned a dark blue, and the stars were starting to come out.

"What were they talking about?" Jay asked his brother. "Mother said something about one of her sons. Except then she said he _wasn't_ her son. That doesn't make sense." He had a bad feeling about this, thought he wasn't entirely sure why.

Blizz looked worried as well. "Come on. Bolt will know what to do, we need to go find him. And Night, if we can."


	5. Night 2

**Night**

The tree they sat under was thick and full of leaves. It was not quite as tall as the oak in the clearing had been, but it still provided a comfortable amount of shade. Though the sun blazed high overhead, Night knew that it was close to setting in the real world. It was time to go.

"Are you ready?" Night asked, breaking a long silence.

Sky nodded, but said nothing. In his twin's light-blue eyes, Night thought he saw something that looked like grief, or fear, or maybe regret.

"It's okay," Night said. "I'm scared too."

Sky hesitated, then said, "You don't need to be." His voice was even smaller than it usually was.

"What do you mean?"

"I've…been thinking," Sky said, looking down at the ground. "Maybe you should stay here."

" _What?_ "

Sky flinched at Night's tone. "It's not that I want to leave you! But…Mother wants me gone anyway. She won't care if I disappear tonight. Nobody will come looking for me. But if you come with me, you know she'll do everything she can to hunt us down. It'll be safer for us both if it's just me." His eyes rose and met Night's gaze. "Our trainer loves you. Mother wants you. You can have a good life here. A comfortable life."

Night did not think he had ever heard Sky speak so many words at once. He spent a few moments collecting his thoughts, then said, "You've wanted to say this for a long time, haven't you?"

Sky nodded. "I was afraid to tell you. But I know this is my last chance. To protect us both."

 _To protect me,_ Night thought. Even with the threat of Mother, Sky would be far better off with Night than without him. "And what if I don't care about safety?" he said. He lifted his paw to scratch behind his twin's ears. "Look, maybe you're right about all that stuff. Maybe I could live a good life, if I stayed. But it doesn't matter. I don't want all that. I want you. And you're worth whatever risk I have to take."

When he looked into Sky's eyes, Night saw that they were moist. It looked like he might start crying again. "Thank you," Sky said, leaning into Night's fur. "Thank you, Night. I mean, Dusk."

 _Dusk_ , Night thought, _right_. His name was Dusk now. And Sky's name was Sora. He wondered how long that would take to get used to. "We'll stick together, then?" he asked.

Sky nodded.

"Good. Let's get going."

The tree they had chosen to sit by was only a quarter mile from the control room. They began to head that way, toward their escape.

The trip was quick and uneventful, thankfully. Nobody stopped them, or even saw them, as far as Night could tell. The control room was empty when they arrived. A press of a button and a flash of light brought them out of the PC and into their trainer's bedroom.

The bedroom was empty as well. Night glanced out of a window, and saw that it was far later than he had thought. The sky was dark, the stars were out, and the moon was fully risen. That made him frown. The Box's late sunrise this morning must have messed up his internal clock.

Their lateness meant that they were an hour or so behind schedule. One less hour to get away before Mother woke up and realized that they were gone. Hopefully, that hour wouldn't be their downfall.

"You have the list?" Sky asked.

In answer, Night put his paw up to fumble at the blue ribbon around his neck, causing the silver bell to jingle. He pulled out the scrap of paper that was hidden there and unfolded it. Written on the paper was a collection of very simple human words, each one describing something that they needed to take with them. Night had written the words by dipping his claw in ink and very carefully pressing it into the paper. The result looked pretty atrocious, but it was the best he could do, and it was legible.

"First we need to get the sacks under the bed," Night said as he read the list.

Sky went over and retrieved them.

"Give me the smaller one," Night said. "You should take the larger one to the kitchen and fill it with as much food as you can. And be quick. We have less time than I thought."

Once Sky was gone, Night picked up the other sack and checked the list. He moved around the house, collecting the items as quickly as he could. The first thing he found was ink and paper, which they would use to practice their writing. Then he picked up a small blanket, some books, and a few other things. He found some human coins as well. They weren't on the list, but he decided they might be useful, so he slid them into the bag.

By the time he found his way to the kitchen, Sky was finished gathering the food. He had chosen well, Night decided as he looked through the sack. Nothing perishable, nothing they couldn't open. Night discarded the list and used his mouth to pick up the heavier bag, then motioned for his twin to take the other one.

The backdoor was unlocked, thankfully. Night pushed it open and led Sky across the yard. They swung the bags up over the fence, then jumped over it themselves.

Night landed comfortably on the sidewalk, and smiled as Sky came down beside him. _Our new life starts now,_ he thought. The street was very dark; there were only a few lights along the road. He looked to his left and saw nothing but darkness. No pokémon, no people, no cars. He looked to his right. Mother stared back at him.

She was twenty yards away, and not alone. There was another eevee that stood beside her. And two humans behind her. Both of them were male, and they wore dark clothing. One was much taller than the other.

Night looked into his mother's eyes. She seemed as confused as Night felt. But then she glanced down at the bags that the twins were holding, and he saw the gears turning in her head. Night's mind raced, trying to come up with anything that would get them out of this. A thousand excuses came to him, but all he said was, " _Run!_ "

He dropped the bag, whirled around, and took half a step before he saw the third human. He stood over the twins, a dangerous look on his face. For some reason he was naked, and bald all over. How had he gotten there? The way was clear only a moment ago.

Night was panicking too hard to give it more than a second's thought. " _Run!_ " he said again, but by then the naked man was already moving. He reached down absurdly quickly and got his hands around Sky, who seemed too shocked to resist. "No!" Night yelled. He lunged forward and bit at the man's calf. The human grunted in pain, and then his hand shot down and slammed into Night's head. The force made Night slam down to the ground, and the pain made him whimper. He felt the man's free hand grab the scruff of his neck, and then he was soaring upward. His eyes were closed, and he was afraid to open them.

The naked man pressed Night against Sky, who was struggling now, and held them both against his chest with one arm. Night finally opened his eyes when he felt the man leaning down to the ground. He was fiddling with something. _A cage_ , Night realized dimly. Where had he gotten a cage? Night's head was still pounding from the blow. None of this seemed real.

The man got the cage door open, then tossed both of the twins inside before closing it again. Night struggled to his feet. Sky was already standing, clawing at the door, starting to cry. But Night just stood there, feeling nothing. "We lost, Sky," he whispered, in a voice that held no emotion. "We already lost." After that he closed his eyes for a while and tried to tune out the world. When he opened them again, the naked man wasn't there. Where had he gone? _It doesn't matter_ , Night thought. The cage was still around them, and Sky was still crying.

Night looked through the cage bars over to where the man's cohorts stood. There was another creature with them now, a small pink thing that must have been a pokémon. The two humans and three pokémon were all walking toward Night and Sky.

Then, suddenly, a small figure emerged from the bushes next to the sidewalk. Another eevee. He placed himself between the cage and the advancing party.

"Mother, _stop!_ " Jay yelled. "I won't let you hurt them!"

Harmony froze, causing the others to stop as well. " _Jay?_ " she said.

But it wasn't just Jay. Blizz came out of the same bush and stood beside his twins. He said, "If you want them, you have to go through me."

And then Flame came out to join them. "And me," he said. Bolt followed, though he looked a bit reluctant about it, and he did not speak. Night couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"You shouldn't be here," Mother said, frowning. "None of you should be here. It was only Sky they wanted."

"You can't have any of us!" Flame yelled, stepping forward. His face was all scratched up, for some reason.

 _You idiots_ , Night thought. _What are you doing?_

Mother hesitated for a moment, as if lost in thought. Then she said, "Take those four as well."

The pink thing turned and said something to the humans. His words sounded foreign. _He's speaking the human language,_ Night realized. How was that even possible? Reading was one thing, but _speaking?_

Whatever he said caused the humans to act. They nodded at the pink thing, then sprinted down the sidewalk toward the four brothers.

He heard Flame grunt in surprise, and saw him take a few steps back as the humans approached. Flame bared his teeth, waiting for them to get close. Jay, Bolt, and Blizz stepped up beside him.

 _No_ , Night thought numbly, _no, you need to run, not fight_.

But his brothers stood their ground, and then the humans were on them. They were horribly quick, just as the naked man had been. The tall one went after Flame while the shorter one engaged Bolt.

Night watched as Flame readied himself, then pounced as the human drew near. But the tall man jumped out of the way almost lazily. Flame made a surprised noise as the landing put him off balance. He tried to correct himself, but then the tall man was there, kicking him down. He leaned down and hit Flame over and over, until the eevee stopped moving.

 _No_ , Night thought, _no_.

The shorter man already had Bolt in his arms, and Blizz had come forward to help. The eevee and the man danced around each other, neither of them committing to a full strike. Then Jay came up from behind and bit the man's ankle. The human grunted and dropped Bolt, who hit the ground in a way that looked rather painful. But Bolt recovered quickly, and managed to stand. The shorter man backed away, as if afraid to fight all three of them at once. It was beginning to look like the brothers might have a chance.

But by then the tall man was finished with Flame, and he rushed over to help his partner. He kicked Jay away and then focused on Blizz. The shorter man quickly recaptured Bolt, who was never much of a fighter.

The tall man was a better dancer than the shorter one. Blizz snapped his teeth and clawed at him, but the human always seemed to be a little bit faster. He wore Blizz down slowly, always just barely managing to get a small hit in. Overwhelmed, Blizz gave one last desperate lunge, which the tall man dodged as easily as he had with Flame. Then he leaned down and sent his hand across Blizz's face, hard. The eevee went down.

The tall man motioned for his cohort to gather up Flame and Blizz, then turned to the last brother left standing.

" _Jay!_ " Night yelled, " _Don't fight!_ _Run!_ "

Sky opened his mouth as well, but then something heavy slammed into the cage, causing them both to fall over. Night looked up, dazed, and saw that the naked man was back. He glared down at the twins. _He kicked the cage_ , Night realized. _He doesn't want us shouting._

Jay was limping and obviously still hurting from the kick, but he did not heed Night's advice. He stood and faced the tall man, as if he had any chance of winning.

The tall man saw that he was hurt, and seemed to take pity on him. He walked toward him calmly, and stooped down to pick him up. But as his hands approached, Jay jumped up and bit one of them.

The tall man tore his hand away and staggered backward. He screamed a human word. Then anger filled his face, and he ran at Jay. He tried to kick him again, but this time Jay dived out of the way. As his brother flung himself through the air, Night got a good look at his face, and his eyes. He had never seen Jay so angry.

Jay moved unreasonably quickly as the tall man came at him again. He somehow avoided every kick and slap that the human sent at him. Three times, he darted forward and managed to score a bite or a scratch at the man's legs. After the third time, the tall man shouted something over at the cage. He sounded worried, and that gave Night the tiniest bit of hope.

The naked man sprinted toward the battle. As he grew near, he leapt in the air like a beast.

And then he changed.

It was a very strange thing to watch. The naked man's flesh began to twist, and his entire body shrank. And in less than a second, he was no longer human. He had become the pink thing that was with Mother only a few minutes ago. Night glanced up at where Mother and the other eevee were sitting, and saw that the pink thing was indeed no longer there with her. It had to have snuck away and transformed during the battle, Night realized. _How_ it transformed, he could not have said.

The pink thing landed on its feet, just inches from the battle. Jay looked up, and the anger in his eyes was replaced by confusion. The pink thing scratched hard at Jay, who was too distracted to dodge. The blow connected, and Jay went down.

After that the pink thing turned back into a human. The transformation looked just as strange the second time. He said something to the tall man, then picked up Jay. The shorter man and the naked man carried the four eevee over to the cage.

When they opened the door, Night leapt for the entrance. The naked man must have been expecting that, though, because he held out his free hand and let Night run right into it. It was almost like a punch, and it knocked Night back down. The naked man shoved Jay into the cage, then stood back, and let the shorter man put in the other three, who were all barely conscious. The cage was large, but with all six of them there it felt very cramped.

Harmony and the other eevee made their way to the cage. The naked man was the pink thing again, and he was there as well.

"You tried to run," Mother said to Night. She did not look at Sky, he noticed.

"Yes." Night was too exhausted to lie.

Harmony looked utterly heart-broken. "Why? I love you. You _must_ love me too."

Night met her gaze. "I love Sky, not you. I'll never love you." A stupid thing to say, perhaps, but he no longer cared.

Mother turned and began to walk away.

The pink thing said, "Which one is it you wanted to sell us?" Yes, he had to be a pokémon, if Night could understand him.

"All of them," said Mother, not looking back. "Just take them all."

"Harmony!" gasped the unfamiliar eevee. "Don't do this. I've already told you how I feel about you selling even one."

"Don't you _dare_ judge me," Mother said angrily. "It was you who told me about them. And I know you sold them a son too." She turned to the pink thing. "Didn't you hear me? Take them. Get them away from me." She walked over to the fence and jumped over it, back into the yard of their trainer's home.

The unfamiliar eevee frowned at Night, then at Sky, and then she left as well.

"Well," said the pink thing, "that was all unexpected. This was supposed to be a quick stop."

"Where are you taking us?" Night asked. The last dregs of hope had left him.

"A bad place. I'm sorry." Then the pink thing said something in the human language, and the tall man came over, lifted up the cage, and started to carry them.


	6. Oliver 2

**Oliver**

The cave was a lonely light in a sea of darkness.

Lined along the rock walls were half a dozen metal sconces, each one ablaze. Their fires made the small room comfortably warm. Nothing seemed to be fueling the flames. Out in the real world, Oliver knew, a fire required oil or wood or coal to stay alive, but the world inside the PC did not need to abide by the laws of nature.

The bed he sat on was nothing more than a cardboard box filled with something soft and yellow. The stuff was itchy, but it was a better option than the cold stone floor. There were two other beds beside him, but they were not in use.

Oliver turned his head to stare out of the cave's opening and into the night. It was so dark that he could not make out anything but the full moon and the stars high above. It was probably daytime in the real world, but that didn't matter here. The sun never rose in Box Seven.

"Agga," Oliver said. "Why do you live here? In Box Seven." He had not spoken for several hours, and his throat was dry with disuse.

The chansey rummaged through a box of supplies as she answered. "Even the pokémon of the night need a healer, dear." She pulled a small clear spray bottle from the box. It was filled with some strange liquid. Oliver cringed when he saw it.

"What?" Agga said, waddling toward him. "You don't like my treatment?"

"The spray stings," Oliver admitted.

"That means it's working." She began to remove the cloth bandages that covered half his face, letting them fall to the floor. Once they were off, she lifted the bottle. "Close your eyes," she commanded. Oliver obeyed. A few moments later he felt the medicine on his face. The liquid burned in his wounds, but he did not cry out. Oliver let the pain flood him as the medicine rolled down his cheeks and dripped onto the bed and floor.

Once she was finished with that, Agga scooped up the dirty white cloth from the floor and walked back to her big box of supplies. When she came back to him she was holding new, clean bandages. She wrapped them around the deeper cuts on his head, then picked the bottle back up and began to move around the bed, inspecting Oliver's body and spraying at every scratch she found. The medicine stung there as well, though not as much as it had on his face.

The chansey was done with him after that. She said, "Your wounds are healing well. Soon they'll close up completely."

 _And then Stan will give me some new ones,_ Oliver thought. That was how it always went. He got hurt, he healed, and then he got hurt again. He had been alive for only ten weeks, yet he had already visited Agga twice, and three times Lem had taken him to Diane, the healer in Box Three.

"You're free to go home," Agga continued. "All those cuts need now is time. There's nothing more I can do for you. Unless," she said, eyeing him, "you want to tell me who did this to you."

"Nobody," Oliver said, more quickly than he had intended. "It was an accident. I told you already."

"Yes, you gave me some story about tripping and rolling down a hill. I chose not to believe that."

"I like to climb hills. Sometimes I fall." That was not a lie, technically.

"But you didn't fall this time, did you?" Agga asked. She gave him a gentle look. "You don't need to be afraid, dear. Just give me this bully's name, and I will have a word with Harmony about him."

 _Mother won't care,_ he thought, _but Stan will._ His brother had made it very clear that if Oliver ever told anyone about their confrontations, his life would suddenly get even worse. "Nobody hurt me," Oliver insisted. "It was an accident. You don't need to talk with Mother, you'll only worry her."

Agga studied him for a long time. Then she said, "All right. But if I find out you've _fallen_ again, I won't give you a choice in the matter."

Oliver nodded, thinking, _I'll need to tell Lem not to bring me here next time_. And there _would_ be a next time, he knew.

"Well, you had better be off, then," Agga said. "You'll want to get home before nightfall. I think the sun is close to setting in the other Boxes. Though it's pretty hard to tell from here." She shook her head and sighed. "You never do get used to this eternal night, you know."

"Can't I stay one more day?" Oliver knew he was pushing his luck with the question, but he had to ask. He really didn't want to go back to Box Four right now. Stan, Caro, and Split probably wouldn't physically attack him again until he was healed, but they would torment him in other ways.

"You've been here for two days already," Agga reminded him. "Won't your mother worry?"

"She won't care." That, at least, was true.

Agga looked at him suspiciously, but as she opened her mouth to answer, something distracted her, and she turned to look out of the cave's entrance. A moment later, Oliver heard the approaching footsteps as well. Someone was drawing near.

A dark figure came into view. The night seemed to melt away from him as he came closer to the firelit room. The pokémon walked on four legs and had dark fur, and for one horrifying moment Oliver thought it was Caro. But on closer inspection, he realized that this was no poochyena, and Oliver relaxed a little.

"Agga," the houndour greeted. "Can I come in?" His voice was surprisingly high-pitched.

Agga rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, enter. Have you come to rob me again, Scull?"

"Afraid so." The houndour smiled regretfully. "The trainer will be taking us out for battle practice tomorrow. We'll need some potions." He stepped inside the cave, his claws clacking against the hard floor.

 _Scull_ , Agga had called him. Oliver stared. Scull was almost like a celebrity inside the PC. He was a star member of the trainer's main battling team, and everyone always talked about how strong he was. Sometimes, when he visited other Boxes, Oliver overheard girls whispering and giggling to each other about something Scull had done. He had never actually seen the houndour before, but he had always admired him, just as everyone else did. Oliver had just assumed that he was some great, magnificent beast who could take down a dozen enemies at once without breaking a sweat.

But as Scull crossed the room, Oliver could not help but notice that he did not look particularly impressive. He was more than twice as large as Oliver, but that didn't mean much, considering how young the eevee was. The houndour looked like he was young as well. Not a kit like Oliver, but he was certainly no more than four years old, a little over halfway to maturity. He was not well-muscled either, and he did not look very fierce. He was just a pokémon.

"It's potions you want?" Agga asked. "I may have a few to spare. Check those boxes." She gestured to the back of the room, where she kept her supplies.

Scull walked there and began to search through the boxes. Every once in a while he found something he liked and pulled it out. He piled the bottles into a sack. Oliver wasn't sure where he had gotten it from.

When he was done, Scull picked up the full bag and carried it back over to Agga. As she looked through its contents, Scull's head turned to look at Oliver, and their eyes met for the first time. For some reason Oliver felt a chill go up his spine.

"Who is this?" Scull asked.

"A boy from Box Four, named Oliver." She looked up from the bag, obviously unhappy. "I wish you wouldn't take so many. There are pokémon here who might need the medicine."

Scull ignored that. "Those are some bad cuts," he observed, still looking at Oliver. "How did he get them?"

"I fell down Birdpeck Peak in Box Four," Oliver said before Agga could answer.

"I see," said Scull. He turned back to Agga. "I'll only take half that many potions, if you want. I can get the rest from Diane. I would have gone to her first, but I've already raided her supplies twice this month."

"No," Agga sighed. "Take them all. Just be more mindful in the future." She pushed the bag back over to him.

But Scull did not pick it up. His eyes were on Oliver again. "You said the boy is from Box Four?"

"Yes," Agga replied. "One of Harmony's sons. The youngest. He was just about to head back home."

"You said I could stay another night," Oliver protested. He was a bit annoyed at how the other two were talking about him like he wasn't there.

"I said no such thing. Come, get out of that bed. Someone else may need it soon."

"You don't want to go?" Scull asked as Oliver struggled out of the box.

"I'm afraid of the dark," Oliver lied. It was the first thing that popped into his mind. "My brother Lem brought me here. I don't want to go back by myself."

"I'm making for the control room now, to take these potions back to Box Two. I'll walk with you."

Oliver hesitated, realizing he was trapped. He couldn't deny the offer without looking suspicious. "Okay," he said.

"Agga," Scull said, "could you tie this bag to my back? I'd carry it with my mouth, but I think I'd like to talk with Oliver on the walk back."

As Agga obliged, Oliver stretched his legs to prepare for the long trip. Box Seven was only half the size of Box Four, but the control room was still in the center of the Box, and Agga's cave was all the way in the southwest corner. It would take an hour or so to go all that way.

"Let's get going," Scull said once the sack was securely tied to him.

It hurt to leave the warmth of the cave behind. Outside the air was chilly, and before they had gone a hundred yards Oliver began to shiver. He kept close to Scull, who was very warm.

For a while the ground below them was rocky and hard, like it had been back in the cave. This whole section of the Box was full of rooms like Agga's. They acted as houses for the denizens of Box Seven. Only a few had fires burning.

Eventually they left the craggy area behind and stepped onto a grassy field. The ground here was covered by a very thick layer of fog. The stuff was wet and white, and came up to Oliver's chest. It seemed to go on forever in every direction. He hated this part of the Box. The fog was so strong that he could not even see the ground below him. It always felt like he was going to fall down some hidden hole that he would never climb out of.

When he told Scull that, the houndour laughed. "There are no bottomless pits here, don't worry. But there are a few places where you can twist an ankle if you aren't careful. Just stay close to me, I know the way. I lived here before I moved into Box Two."

They walked a little further. After a while Oliver heard a group of pokémon laughing somewhere off in the distance, though it was too dark to see them.

"Don't make any loud noises," Scull whispered. "I don't want to attract them."

"Why? Will they try to hurt us?"

Scull smiled. "Not if they're smart. I just don't want to spend the next hour dealing with my old friends."

Oliver kept his voice down as he said, "You know all of the pokémon in Box Seven?"

"Not all. But most."

"Do you know if Caro lives here?" Oliver's question came out of nowhere. For some reason he desperately wanted to know the answer.

"That poochyena?" Scull seemed to think about it for a while. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

"I was just curious," Oliver lied.

They walked in silence for a while longer. The voices of the other pokémon grew quieter, then died out.

Scull said, "It was Caro who gave you those scratches, wasn't it?"

Oliver flinched by reflex. "I fell down a hill. I told you."

"No. Those are battle scars. I knew that as soon as I saw them."

Oliver was baffled. "How?"

"I've been fighting my whole life," Scull explained. "I was born wild, so I had to fight for all my meals. If I didn't hunt, I didn't eat. I was only a little older than you when I was caught, and after that I got a small break. But that didn't last long. Our trainer wanted to fight some other trainer who used plant pokémon, and she decided that I would be of some use to her in that battle. So she took me from the PC and made me fight some more. I got stronger. After that I fought almost every day for a year. Eventually our trainer decided she liked me, and she made me a member of her main team. I got to move to the fancy rooms in Box Two, and live with all the other pokémon who've spent their whole lives fighting.

"In all that time I've taken a lot of injuries, given a lot of injuries, and watched other pokémon take and give a lot of injuries. I know what battle wounds look like. I've seen burn marks, I've seen stab wounds, I've seen frostbite from ice attacks. And I have seen what a claw does to a face." The houndour looked over at him, as if daring him to deny the truth. "Was it Caro? You can tell me, Oliver. Whatever he threatened you with, you don't need to be afraid."

Oliver looked into Scull's eyes, and decided that he could trust this pokémon. "It wasn't Caro," he said, "but he was there, watching." He remembered how the poochyena had laughed at his pain. "My brother Stan attacked me. He does it all the time. This is the fifth time he's sent me to a healer." It felt very strange to talk about.

"Your own brother?" Scull shook his head. "If we went to your mother—"

"We _can't_ ," Oliver interrupted. "She doesn't care about me. She doesn't care about anyone but Night. All telling her will do is make Stan angry."

Scull frowned. "That's why you don't want to go home? Because Stan is there?"

Oliver hesitated, then nodded.

Scull was silent for a while as they continued walking. The control room was visible by then, a small bright light off in the distance.

"All right," Scull said. "I won't make you go back to Box Four. Eventually you'll have to, but tonight you can stay in my room in Box Two."

Oliver looked up at him. "I thought only members of the battle team could stay there."

"Only the battlers can _live_ there," Scull corrected, "but we're allowed to have visitors. It will only be for one or two nights."

One or two nights would not end his problems, but it was better than nothing. "Thank you," said Oliver.

Scull nodded.

After that it did not take long for them to reach the control room. There was a flickering bulb in the ceiling, filling the room with light. The room was identical to the one in Box Four. Scull fiddled with the buttons on the panel, then pressed the big button in the center. After all the darkness, the flash of white light was blinding.

Scull and Oliver stepped out of Box Two's control room. The place looked like it was taken straight from downtown Jubilife. There were dozens of human buildings and alleyways. Streetlights lined the sidewalk. There were no cars or people, but Oliver could still hear their noises in the distance, honking horns and men shouting. The sun had dipped below some buildings, and the sky was pink and orange.

"It's so small," Oliver said. He had always heard that Box Two was the smallest Box of all, but he had not been expecting this. The streets extended for only three hundred yards before hitting the impassable Box wall.

"It doesn't need to be large," Scull said. "Everything we need is right here in this little space. I'll give you a tour tomorrow. Come on, let's head to my room."

The main team's home was closer to a fancy hotel than anything else. Oliver had seen a hotel only once, when his trainer had visited some other city to challenge a gym leader. That place had been cheap and a bit dirty. This was different. As he stepped inside the lobby, Oliver was taken aback by how nice everything looked. The carpet was red, the walls were red, even the chairs and the tables and the desks were red. All the redness was comforting, somehow.

There were some pokémon occupying the chairs around a table. A machop. A growlithe. A skitty.

"Evening, Scull," the growlithe called out. "Have the potions?"

"I do," Scull said. "Kick, come help me with this bag."

The machop came forward to take it off Scull's back. He went through the sack, taking the bottles out and setting them on a nearby table.

"Not as many as we might want," Kick said, frowning.

"Agga nearly skinned me for taking as many as I did."

Kick the machop snorted. "That sounds like her. Well, we'll make do with these." His eyes found Oliver. "Who's the kit?"

"A guest. He'll be staying in my room tonight."

"I thought you liked girls, Scull," came the drawling voice of the skitty.

The houndour ignored that. He said, "We're going up to my room."

"Sit and talk with us for a bit," urged the growlithe.

For a moment it looked like Scull was going to accept the invitation, but then he said, "No, sorry. Tomorrow will be a long day. I'll need my sleep."

Scull led Oliver away from his friends and down a hallway.

"Will we need to climb stairs?" Oliver asked. He liked to climb the stairs in his trainer's home sometimes.

"Stairs? Well, we could, but I prefer the elevator."

Oliver had never been on an elevator before. It was a lot like the control room, only less impressive. The doors slid open to let them out on a higher floor.

"My room is over here," Scull said, walking down the hallway to the left. Oliver followed.

The door wasn't locked, so Scull just pushed it open. The inside was much simpler than the lobby had been, but it had the same red theme. It was a single square room with a bed, a couch, a table, and a lamp. For some reason there was a nightstand next to the bed, though Oliver couldn't think of why a pokémon would need a nightstand.

The lamp was already off, so Scull jumped onto the bed, which had red sheets and half a dozen pillows. Oliver climbed up after him. There was no blanket, so he snuggled against the warm houndour and closed his eyes.

"I've been thinking about what you said," Scull told him. "About Stan. And I think you're right. If your mother won't put a stop to his cruelty, then telling her would only enrage him. We'll need to take another approach."

Oliver opened his eyes and looked at Scull. "What do you mean?"

"When you spend your whole life fighting, you meet a lot of bullies. But every one I've ever seen only picks on the weak. If you were stronger, if you could beat him, then he would have to leave you alone."

"But I can't beat him. I'm weak."

"Yes," Scull said. "No offense, but you are. But any pokémon can grow strong, even the young and small ones. It's in our nature."

"It's not just Stan," Oliver reminded him. "There's Caro too. And my other brother Split. I can't beat three at once. Can I?"

"I've won fights with worse odds."

"But you're _you_. I'm just me."

That made Scull smile. "We'll see."

"We will?"

"Yes. Close your eyes and get some sleep, Oliver. You'll want to be well-rested. Tomorrow I'm bringing you along to train with us. You _will_ beat those bullies. I'll see that you do."


	7. Night 3

**Night**

Every few hours, the moving van would stop. The men would pull over to the side of some quiet stretch of road, open the back of the van, and haul the cages out one by one. There were a dozen or so cages, and three men—the same three who had taken the twins. Night had decided to think of them as Tall, Short, and Bald. Tall was the tall man, Short the shorter man. Bald had been the naked man, or the pink thing, or the fur-less eevee, or whatever you wanted to call him. But he was not naked anymore, nor was he an eevee, and he was only a little pink, so Night had been forced to call him Bald. He wore a green bathrobe now.

Once the men had removed all of the cages, they would drag one away from the others to let the group of eevee out. Each cage held at least four. Once they had been taken out, Tall or Short would fill a small bowl with water from a bottle and throw some dry food onto the ground. Then the humans would watch over the eevee, who had five minutes to eat and drink and use the grass however they liked. Once their time was up, they would be herded back into their cage and carried back to the others. They repeated the process for every cage. It took more than an hour for everyone to be fed. When it was finally done, the humans would load them all back into the van and start down the road again.

Sometimes when they stopped, one or two or even all of the men would go off somewhere. They always had a new eevee with them when they came back.

Nobody tried to escape. They had all learned the price of disobedience on the day that Night and his twins had been forced onto the van, when an eevee in another cage would not stop screaming and barking and crying. Bald had gone to that eevee, transformed into the pink thing, and said a few words to him, too quietly for Night to hear. An hour later, the eevee had grown noisy again. This time it was Tall who had gone into the back of the van. He had opened that eevee's cage, lifted him up, and sent the back of his hand across his face. It had taken ten minutes for the barking to resume. The next time the van had stopped to feed the passengers, Short had thrown the eevee to the ground and stomped on his neck.

Night did not like to remember that. Three days had passed since then, but he could still hear the sound of the bones snapping, and the soft whine the eevee had made as he died. It was hard to hear anything else, with how quiet it was. Nobody spoke. There was no sound but the noises of the road around them.

The twins had not been separated. Night was grateful for that, but it made the cage very cramped. Night was in one of the corners, with Sky pressed against his right side and Bolt to his front. Both of them were asleep. It was too dark to see Jay, Blizz, and Flame, but he knew that they were probably sleeping too. Night himself had barely slept at all during their trip.

The van began to slow to a stop. Night used his paw to shake Sky and Bolt awake. "Wake up," he whispered. "They're stopping to feed us again." But as he spoke, he realized that something felt off. Their last stop had only been an hour ago. Why were they doing it again already?

When Bald came to open the van, Night saw that they had entered a large, dark garage. The three humans all climbed up to pull the cargo out.

"Is something wrong?" asked Sky, who was stirring beside him.

"I don't know," Night answered. "I think we've just arrived at wherever they're taking us."

Each of the men grabbed one cage and took it with them. Bald took the cage that held the twins. They left the garage through a nearby door and entered a clean white hallway. It stretched on for what felt like miles. There were hundreds of doors along the walls. Sometimes they passed humans in white coats. By the time they reached the room they had been heading for, Tall and Short were out of breath. Bald wasn't, even though he was carrying the heaviest cage of the three.

They entered the room, which was empty. The walls were as white as the hallway. Tall set his cage down and went to a large, discolored floor tile. He lifted it up, revealing a staircase underneath. He picked the cage back up and headed downstairs. Short and Bald followed him. The room they came to looked like the one they had just left, aside from the staircase against the wall. The humans set their cages down at the foot of the stairs and went back up, leaving the eevee behind.

"Where are they going?" Jay asked.

An eevee in one of the other cages answered. "To get the rest, probably."

Sure enough, the men returned fifteen minutes later with three more cages. It took two more trips to get them all.

Once they had all been carried into the room, Bald tossed his robe aside and transformed back into the pink thing. He began to speak to all of the captured eevee. "Welcome to the Lab, your new home. It's not a good home, but it's the last one you'll ever know." His voice was stiff and formal; he had obviously given this speech a hundred times before. "The Wardens will be here soon. Each of them will come and decide if they want any of you. If you are chosen, do whatever they say. Do not defy them. Be warned that Wardens have almost complete control over their Wards. They may punish or even kill one of their subjects at any time. There will be no trial. They need no reason. Nobody will care." He let that hang over them for a moment.

"There are eleven Wards," Bald continued. "Seven are used for experimentation: the Wards of the Changers, Dreamers, Watchers, Breeders, Fighters, Halfmen, and Deathseekers." Something about that last one did not sound pleasant to Night. "Two Wards are responsible for providing help to the Lab. The Stewards keep the place clean. The Rangers go out into the world and find us new recruits. The remaining two Wards are the Cells and the Dark Cells. They're used to hold the pokémon that aren't chosen by any of the Wardens.

"There is a hierarchy here. You answer to your Warden. The Wardens answer to the High Warden. The High Warden answers to the humans. Everyone has a place. Don't forget yours." With that, he was finished. He stayed quiet while they waited.

The first Warden ended up being a vaporeon. He looked exhausted as he stepped through the door in the back of the room. For some reason he was wearing a small hat made of straw. It looked silly on him.

"Good evening, Resin," Bald greeted as the newcomer approached.

Resin the vaporeon nodded at him, then scanned over the cages. "Would any of these eevee happen to be gods?"

"Doesn't seem likely," Bald said.

"Then I'm wasting my time here. Again." Resin sighed. "I don't know why that blasted absol makes me come down here every time a new shipment comes in. I think I'd know ahead of time if you found a new guest for the Dark Cells."

"I'm sure the High Warden has his reasons."

"Of course. Well, if you have nothing else for me, I need to get back to my post. I have _real_ work to do." And the vaporeon left the room.

The second Warden came a few minutes later. This one was an eevee. He was old, maybe fifteen, and he wore a red bandana around his neck. Half the fur on his face had been torn away and replaced by scars.

"You'll need to come back later, Terrin," Bald said. "The other Wardens haven't had their look yet. You can take whoever's left once they're done."

"I didn't come to bring them to the Cells," Terrin said. His voice was low and raspy. "I'm here on behalf of the Halfmen, as a favor. They want all the young ones."

"They're starting their experiments again?"

"I didn't ask them why. I just followed orders."

"That was probably wise. All right, have a look, take whoever you want."

Terrin moved around the cages, studying every eevee. Every once in a while, he had Bald open a cage and pull one of the prisoners out. He had already collected seven by the time he got to the twins. He glanced at Bolt first, then Night, then Sky. He circled the cage, looking at them all. Eventually his eyes fell on Jay.

Terrin said, "I'll take the small one."

Blizz was growling as the cage door opened. Bald did not even acknowledge him. He dragged Jay out and sent him to stand with the others Terrin had chosen.

The Warden took one more eevee from one of the other cages, then began to leave with the group. Jay sent a long look back at his brothers, then followed Terrin out of the room.

The next to come was a flaaffy who introduced himself as the Warden of the Stewards. To Bald he said, "The stewards don't need any spots filled. I can't take any of these off your hands." The Warden of the Rangers said something similar. Both were wearing hats, like Resin.

 _Maybe the other Wardens will pass us up too,_ Night thought, _and the five of us can live together in the Cells._

That hope was quickly dashed, of course. The fifth Warden, a female Lucario, announced that the Fighters needed a few new members. She searched through the cages, selecting three of the largest and strongest eevee. Blizz was among them. He muttered a quick goodbye as he was forced away from the others.

Flame was the next to be taken. The Warden of the Watchers, a kecleon named Basher, chose him and one other. Bolt whined as his twin left, but he did not have long to grieve. When a manectric, the Warden of the Dreamers, arrived, he called for every eevee that wished to one day evolve into a jolteon. Four eevee in the other cages spoke up and went with him. Bolt hesitated for a bit, then became the fifth.

The cage felt very empty after that. Only Night and Sky remained. Despite the extra room they now had, the twins stayed very close to each other as the remaining Wardens came and went. A togetic, the Warden of the Breeders, took about fifteen eevee, but left Night and Sky alone.

There were only two left now, Night remembered; the Changers and the Deathseekers. He wondered which Warden would come first.

The next time the door open, someone very familiar stepped into the room. It was a pink, furless eevee, the spitting image of Bald, except it was wearing a necklace.

As the other approached, Bald said, "Must you do this every time?" He sounded rather annoyed.

"You should take it as a compliment," his clone said. "I like this form. Besides, your reactions are always amusing." Then his body began to change, just like Bald's often did. But instead of turning into a human, the clone shrank. He stayed pink, but his flesh turned into something soft and amorphous. His limbs all retreated into his body and so did his head. All that remained was a shifting blob with a small face. A ditto. Night could not tell if it was male or female. The necklace it had been wearing disappeared into its body.

"If you say so, Nex." Bald's voice was cold. Evidently he did not enjoy the ditto's company. "Take some new recruits if you need them, and leave me alone."

Nex the ditto only chuckled. Night decided that it must be the Warden of the Changers.

The Warden went to their cage first. Nex's eyes lingered on Sky for a very long time. Then the ditto moved away, and Night dared to hope that they were safe. As Nex moved around the room, it never asked Bald to take any of the eevee out of the cages. It was not until it finished its tour that the ditto told Bald who he wanted.

Sky was one of the three it gestured toward.

Finally, Night was alone. Well, about half of the eevee still remained, but Night was the only one of the twins left. It was strange to think that it had been cluttered an hour ago. With Sky gone, he no longer cared what happened to him. Night found himself lying down with his eyes closed as he waited. He almost hoped that he would be left behind, forced to rot away in the Cells. Maybe they would even let him die.

A few minutes later, the last Warden took him.


	8. Jay 2

**Jay**

Jay had never minded being a runt. He had always been smaller than his brothers, but nobody had ever made him feel bad for that. Sometimes Flame would make jokes, but that was just Flame being Flame. It had never really been an issue.

But now, as Terrin led him and eight other eevee down a dark hallway, Jay knew that he was only here because of his size. _I'll take the small one,_ Terrin had said. Looking around, Jay saw that the other eight were small as well. _They're not runts, though_ , he thought. _They're just young._ Jay was by far the oldest of the group. The rest were all kits, no more than a few months old.

That made Jay feel very out of place. Maybe he _was_ out of place. He increased his pace until he was almost right beside Terrin. "Uh, sir?" he said. "I don't think I'm supposed to be here."

Terrin glared down at him. His scarred face was a gruesome sight. "You're supposed to be where I say you're supposed to be. Get back with the others, beast."

Jay backed away quickly, remembering the warning that the furless eevee had given them about the Wardens. Then again, he wasn't sure if Terrin even _was_ a Warden. The older eevee hadn't introduced himself, or really spoken at all. Jay decided that he didn't want to get on his bad side either way.

All of the kits wore faces full of fear. Some were shaking. Jay had to admit to himself that he was a little frightened as well. He was in a strange, dangerous place, separated from his brothers, and he had no idea what was waiting for him ahead. _I need to be brave,_ he thought. _I'm older than all these others. I shouldn't be as scared as them. I bet Blizz is doing just fine right now._ He forced himself to stay calm and keep his head up.

The walls of the hallway were white, but the lighting was so poor that they might as well have been black. They had been walking for a long time. The group passed by a thousand closed doors, and every once in a while they would come to a fork where the hallway continued forward and branched off to the left or right. Terrin never took the turn. He always continued forward, never bothering to look back and check if the others were still behind him. _He knows we'll follow._ What else could they do? Try to run? The Lab felt so large and labyrinthine that Jay was pretty sure that anyone who tried to flee would quickly find themselves lost in the seemingly endless halls.

They came to another fork, and this time Terrin hesitated, considering the way to the right. "This way," he said after a few moments. He turned down the hallway, and the rest of them followed.

The halls of this new path were thinner, and had better lighting. Some of the doors they passed were open. Jay could see humans inside the rooms.

Eventually they stopped in front of a closed door that Terrin seemed very interested in. He stepped forward and scratched at the door. A few seconds later, it opened inward. A human woman stood in the doorway. She glanced down at Terrin, then opened the door the rest of the way to let the group of eevee inside.

As they filed into the room and went to stand beside a wall, Jay looked at his surroundings. Four humans walked around. There were two tables, one clean and one cluttered. The cluttered one held a number of human medicine supplies.

"Now what?" Jay asked quietly.

Terrin answered. "Now you shut your mouth and wait, beast."

And so they waited. _What are we waiting for, though?_ Jay wondered. He knew better than to ask. The minutes crawled by. There was nothing to do, but he was too nervous to be bored. The four humans bustled around the room, shuffling papers and speaking to one another in their strange language.

Finally, the door opened again. A fifth human stood outside. He wore a green bathrobe, and he had no hair. _That furless eevee_ , Jay knew. _The one who can transform_. Night had named him Bald during their time in the van.

Bald stepped inside of the room. He spoke briefly with the human woman, then stripped out of his bathrobe. Underneath it he was naked, but the other humans didn't seem to care. Bald began to change again, back into the pink thing. Jay suddenly understood why this was called the Ward of the Halfmen.

"Hello again, Terrin," Bald said once he had finished his transformation.

Terrin frowned. "If I knew you were coming here, I'd have told you to escort the blasted kits yourself. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't ask." Bald smiled at Terrin's scowl, then turned to Jay and the kits. "This is the Ward of the Halfmen. As the only full Halfman in the Lab, I'm the closest thing you have to a Warden. You nine are about to be tested on. I will guide you through the process. Do as I say, and there's a chance that a few of you will live."

"Some of us will die?" Jay blurted out, unable to stop himself. Around him, the kits were all shaking with fear.

"Most will die, more likely," Bald admitted.

"All with die, most likely," Terrin said, then glanced over at Jay. "Be careful with that one. He doesn't seem to know how to keep his mouth shut."

Bald gave Jay a long look. "This one is a fighter. The day we captured his family, it took three of us to defeat him."

"Is your team so weak?" Terrin said, amused.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps the boy is simply strong. He would have done well in the other Wards." He almost sounded regretful.

Jay remembered the fight clearly. All of his brothers had fallen, and he had been the only one left standing. That was the second time he had felt the rage, the same rage that he had felt when fighting Flame in the Unnamed Forest. That anger had guided him, somehow.

"In any case," Bald continued, "the tests will soon begin. The risks are great, yes, but the reward is greater. Pass this trial, and you will be what I am. You will be a man."

Jay shivered. _Die, or become a human._ Those were his options. He wasn't sure how he felt about being like Bald, but he knew how he felt about dying.

One of the humans said something to Bald, and Bald replied in the human language. "They're ready," Bald declared once he had turned back to the eevee. "Who will go first?"

Terrin shoved Jay forward. "Take the beast."

Bald nodded. Jay hesitated, then stepped forward. _Terrin wants to see me frightened_ , he knew. He wouldn't give the scarred eevee that satisfaction. _I'm the oldest,_ he reminded himself. _That means I have to be the bravest._ That was how it had been in Box Four. Night had always been the boldest of the twins.

The human woman came over and lifted him up, then carried him over to the empty table and set him down there. She turned back to the other humans.

From the floor, Bald said, "They will administer what we call the Halfman serum now. Try not to resist, child."

Jay was so nervous that he could barely keep from shaking, but he did not let his fear show. He nodded.

The human woman came back. She had a syringe in her hand. It was filled with a strange white liquid. Two of the other humans came to hold Jay down. He thought that was stupid, since he wasn't struggling at all. He was rolled onto his back, and the woman started to feel around at the thin fur on his stomach. Eventually she found a vein, and brought the needle toward it.

Jay closed his eyes and did not fight. He knew that the needle would hurt when it went in. He knew it would hurt worse than anything he had ever felt. The wait was only a few seconds, but every instant was terrifying.

The needle went in. He barely felt it.

Jay opened his eyes, confused. The syringe was several inches deep in his flesh, but somehow it didn't hurt at all. Then the woman pulled it out, and it was done.

She grabbed him again and set him on the floor. Bald walked over to him. The furless eevee said, "That was the easy part, child. The worst will come soon. Come with me, we'll watch the others."

The other eight were not as brave as Jay had been. Every one of the kits struggled and screamed as the needle approached, and most of them cried when it touched their skin. _They're just little babies_ , Jay thought, taking a perverse satisfaction in the fact that he had handled the situation in a much better way.

Every time the humans finished with one of the eevee, they would bring them over to Bald and take the next one. Just as the last kit was carried over to the rest, the first kit collapsed. He fell with a soft scream and tears began to spill out of his eyes. The eevee was obviously in a lot of pain.

"What's wrong with him?" Jay said, worried.

Terrin was unconcerned. "Nothing unusual."

Bald said, "The serum is little more than poison, child. It changes you, prepares you for your final transformation…but only if you live that long. Most of the time it kills you before you get that far."

Jay was horrified. "He's _dying_?" The other seven kits were all beginning to cry.

"No," Bald replied, "not yet. This is a normal reaction to the serum. You will all go through it every time you are injected."

Shortly after he finished speaking, the second kit fell to the ground. A third quickly followed. Both of them began to writhe in agony.

"Can't you do anything?" Jay said loudly.

"There is nothing to do but let the serum run its course. Few ever die on the first night. Death takes days, or weeks, or months."

The fourth kit collapsed. Jay felt a chill. "You say that like we're definitely going to die." The fifth fell.

Bald gave Jay a sad look. "This branch has tested the Halfman serum on a thousand eevee since it was created. A thousand or more. Only one has ever survived." The sixth fell.

 _Only one…_ Jay suddenly realized the truth. The nine of them meant nothing to the humans. They just threw them all at a miniscule chance until one of them got lucky and lived. "I won't die," he heard himself say. "I'm not going to die." The last of the kits had fallen by then. All eight were on the ground, scratching at the air, desperately trying to escape the pain.

"Of course not, beast," Terrin said. He looked down at the kits twisting around on the floor. "I'm sure that the others felt the same way a minute ago."

"I'm not like them. See? I'm not in any pain."

"The serum treats everyone the same, beast. Your time will come. Just wait."

They waited…

Then they waited some more.

Twenty minutes must have gone by. Nothing happened. Jay felt no pain. No queasiness. Nothing.

"Something must be wrong," Terrin said. "You gave him a dud or something. Have the humans give him another dose."

"They prepare the serum in a batch," Bald said. "If there was something wrong with his, there would have been something wrong with the others." He gestured toward the writhing kits to make his point.

"What is it, then?" Terrin looked frustrated.

"How should I know? Just because I'm a Halfman doesn't mean I know all of the science behind it."

"Maybe the beast is only faking," Terrin suggested. "He _is_ in pain, he's just too proud to show us."

"I am _not!_ " Jay complained.

"If the serum had taken its effect," Bald said, "he would not be able to resist the pain, no matter how much pride he has."

"Whatever," said Terrin. "I'll leave you to find out what's wrong with him. I've spent enough time in this Ward. I'm going to the cafeteria for some dinner."

"Can I come?" Jay asked, suddenly realizing how hungry he was. He didn't really relish the idea of spending more time with Terrin, but he desperately wanted to get away from the seemingly dying kits.

Terrin looked bewildered. "You actually _want_ to eat?"

Bald laughed. "I told you the boy is strong."

"What's wrong with being hungry?" Jay said, a little defensively.

"Nothing at all," Bald replied. "That's why it's unusual. I've never seen a pokémon feel so well after being injected with the Halfman serum." He looked Jay up and down. "Anyway, I see no reason that you shouldn't be allowed to go eat. Actually, I think I'll join you two."

Terrin, Bald, and Jay started back down the hallway.

"I didn't expect there to be a cafeteria," Jay admitted as they walked. "I figured the humans just locked all the pokémon in a cage and brought them dry food in a bowl."

"Then you weren't entirely wrong," Terrin said, smirking.

"Very few pokémon are allowed to eat there," Bald explained. "Most pokémon, as you said, are locked in their Wards and brought food. Only the Wardens, the Rangers, the Stewards, and the Halfmen may enter the cafeteria."

"Why?"

"The humans have no choice but to trust those groups. They must be allowed almost total freedom in order to complete their tasks. Therefore, they are treated far more kindly, in hopes that it will keep them from trying to escape."

"You're being too transparent with the beast," Terrin complained.

"He asked, and I answered," Bald said. "The boy is a Halfman now."

"Not yet. He's only been given one dose of the serum."

"That's enough for me. And enough for the High Warden, I'm sure. If he doesn't complete his training, it won't matter what he knows."

Terrin seemed to accept that. A few minutes later, the three eevee arrived at the cafeteria. There was no door, so they walked right in. The room was smaller than Jay had been expecting. There were two rows of tables running along the length of the room, one on the left side and one on the right. Silver benches surrounded the tables. At a glance, Jay guessed that each row could seat about twenty pokémon, though only about a dozen were eating now. Those dozen filled the benches of the tables to the right.

On the back wall there was a single door. Just as Jay began to wonder where it led, it swung open, and a human carrying a large dish of food came out. The man walked over and heaved the dish onto the table that held the most pokémon. Then he turned and walked back through the door, leaving the platter behind.

"We're just in time," Terrin rasped. "The food is fresh."

 _Now the humans are serving us?_ Jay thought. It didn't make any sense to him, but he didn't feel like questioning it. He followed Bald and Terrin over to the food. As they seated themselves, Jay got a better look at the other pokémon. He didn't know if any of them were Wardens; the vaporeon named Resin was the only Warden he had seen before being taken by Terrin.

"Good evening, Warden, sir," a nearby charmander said to Terrin. When Terrin did not even acknowledge him, the charmander turned to Jay. "I've never seen you before. Are you a new Steward? I'd know if you were a Ranger." He beamed.

"He's a Halfman," Bald said.

"Oh." The charmander's smile dropped, just a little. "Well, my name is Char. I'm on a Ranger team. It's good to meet you."

"I'm Jay." He didn't know what else to say. The dish of food in front of him was growing tempting. Terrin was already eating.

A servine leaned over from across the table. "I'm Dane. On the same team as Char. Over there's our leader." He gestured over to an eevee a couple of tables down. Even from here, Jay could see that the eevee's eyes were red. Not a pale red like Oliver's, but a shade as deep as rubies.

"Is he a Warden?" Jay asked.

Dane the servine stifled a laugh. "No, nothing like that. Though sometimes he seems to think he is, with the way he acts." He rolled his eyes. "He won't even tell anyone his name. He thinks it makes him mysterious."

"We just call him Red," Char confided with a smile.

They left him alone after that, so Jay turned to the food. He leaned forward and took a bite. The stuff was a simple brown mush, but it was hot, and it tasted well enough.

After a few more bites, Jay realized that Bald was not eating. "Don't you want some?" he asked.

"I still consider myself a pokémon," Bald said, "but I've grown accustomed to human food, I'm afraid. I only came to observe you, to be honest."

"Is it really that strange?" It seemed to Jay that "not dying" should be the default state for a pokémon, not a bizarre exception.

"I've been a Halfman all my life, and I've never seen anyone take the serum as well as you."

"Doesn't that just mean that it's working?"

Bald shook his head. "When I went through the treatment, I reacted as poorly as those other kits back in the testing room. It hurt me so badly that I couldn't eat or sleep for days. Somehow I lived, but it was a very close thing."

Jay was confused. "So is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I wish I knew, child. It's possible that Terrin is right, and that there's simply been a mistake. Perhaps you're immune to the serum, somehow. I'm sure the humans will want to test you further. For now, just be glad that you're healthy and free of pain.

Jay nodded, but just as he was about to resume eating, everyone fell silent. Dane and Char were no longer smiling. Terrin looked up from his meal and eyed the entrance. He rose, and so did everyone else. Jay had no choice but to rise as well. He followed Terrin's gaze.

An absol stood in the open doorway. He held himself almost regally, and he was so old that the black fur on his face had turned a light grey. Beside him was a female eevee that didn't look much older than Jay.

The newcomers approached the table that Jay, Bald, and Terrin sat at. "We will eat here," the absol announced. Dane, Char, and a few others scrambled away from the bench to give them room. Jay moved to follow them, but Bald put a paw on his back and shook his head.

By the time the absol and eevee sat down, the other tables had cleared out as well. The pokémon who had occupied them moved to the other row across the room.

"The High Warden enjoys his privacy," Bald explained when he saw the look of confusion on Jay's face.

"So I do." The absol towered over them all. He looked down at Jay. "This one is too young to be a Ranger and too small to be a Steward." He looked to Bald. "He is yours, then?"

"He is," Bald answered.

"I had heard that the shipment arrived hours ago," said the High Warden. "You should have delivered him to the Ward by now."

"We did," Terrin said, in a voice that was uncharacteristically polite. "I watched the humans give him the serum, and not thirty minutes later he starts saying that he's _hungry_."

"The other kits were writhing in pain," Bald said, "but this one claims he feels no discomfort."

The High Warden studied Jay. "That is strange indeed. What is the boy's name?"

"I'm Jay," he said.

Terrin's anger returned. "You are _not_ to speak with the High Warden unless he allows it."

"Calm yourself, Terrin," the High Warden said wearily. "Jay may speak to whomever he wishes."

"But it's a rule!"

"I _made_ the rule." From the way he spoke, Jay could tell that the High Warden dealt with Terrin a lot. "Anyway, you should have brought the kits of the delivery to me first. I may have seen the potential in Jay. I would have sent him with the others."

"It's a bit late for that," Bald said. "He's a Halfman now. His test has started."

"I believe that I will take him anyway."

Terrin scoffed. "The beast is nothing but a loud mouth. In all likelihood he'll be dead within the week. Leave him to the Halfmen."

The High Warden's face became hard. "I did not ask for your opinion. I am in charge here, not you. Should I take that bandana and give you a fool's hat, with bells and antlers?"

"No, sir," Terrin said. He was almost growling. "That will not be necessary."

"No? Then perhaps I should send you to the kitchens."

All of Terrin's defiance suddenly disappeared. "N-no, sir, please, I…no."

That satisfied the High Warden. "Allow Jay to finish his meal, and then have him brought to the others I have chosen. He will continue his Halfman training, but he will also take on these new responsibilities." With that, the High Warden rose and departed, leaving the female eevee behind. He hadn't even tried the brown slop.

Terrin glared at Jay, as though this were somehow his fault. He said, "Finish quickly, beast, and then go with the girl. I'm sick of looking at you."

A few minutes later, Jay was walking through the hallway again, this time with the female eevee. They spoke a bit to pass the time. Jay learned that her name was Doki, and that she was a Steward, which meant that she kept the Lab clean, and escorted subjects through the halls, and whatever else the Wardens required of her. Apparently the High Warden had grown fond of her, and often used her as his personal assistant. She ranted for a bit about Terrin's rudeness, and told Jay that the scarred eevee was the Warden of the Cells.

They took a lot of turns this time. Jay didn't think he was going to be able to find his way back to the cafeteria.

"That's what the Stewards are for," Doki said when he voiced his concern. "We have to memorize the whole map to help pokémon from one place to another. Just find one of us, and we'll escort you wherever you need."

They walked and walked and turned and turned. Jay had no idea how the girl was able to keep track of it all. The walls and floor and ceiling always looked the same. Sometimes the lighting changed a bit, but that was it. Occasionally they passed other Stewards, and they seemed to know exactly where they were going as well.

They reached the right door eventually. It looked just like all the others, but somehow Doki knew it was the one they wanted. It was already opened a little bit, so they were able to push it open. The room inside was very dark.

"You'll need to be quiet," Doki whispered as they stepped inside. _Quiet?_ Jay thought. _Why?_ He found his answer immediately. Two dozen eevee were sleeping on a few blankets spread across the ground. A few of them stirred as the two entered, but none rose. All of the sleeping eevee were less than six months old. _This again?_ Jay hated that he kept being forced together with kits just because he was a runt. He didn't complain, though. He didn't want Doki to think he was whiny.

"Try to get some sleep," she said. "The High Warden will summon you in the morning." And she left him there in the darkness, leaving the door cracked behind her.


	9. Lem 1

**Lem**

"Where _is_ that freak?" Caro wanted to know.

Lem had been wondering the same thing, albeit in kinder words. He had not seen Oliver since he had helped him over to Agga's place. That had been almost a week ago. Was he still recovering? That didn't seem likely; pokémon healed very quickly. So why hadn't he returned to Box Four? What was keeping him away? He couldn't be dead, could he? No, that was silly. If he was dead, they would know. Still, it was worrying to think about what might have happened to him. Was it possible that he had gone with the twins on the night that they ran away?

Stan was less concerned. "How should I know where he is? I'm not his blasted mother. He's probably out somewhere staring at the sky, same as always." He had taken a big red ball from the trainer's house, and he kicked it along as they walked through the forest. Not the Unnamed Forest in Box Four, but the big one a couple of miles from the house.

They were in the real world now. In many ways, Lem preferred the PC. There, the air was almost always comfortable, and it never rained or snowed unless the Skychanger wanted it to. But out here, the weather was not so pleasant. A light rain was falling now. The thick foliage overhead kept most of the water away from the four friends, but some drops still made it through to wet the forest floor. Every once in a while, a raindrop would land right on Lem's back. That always made him shiver, since it was so cold out today. Autumn was coming to an end, and winter was eager to take its place.

"We should find him," Caro said. "You promised I could have him. You _promised_."

"You'll have him later," Stan said. He eyed the poochyena. "You obsess over him too much. All you ever want to do is find him. Just shut up about it." He kicked the ball again. It rolled across the wet soil and bounced against a tree. Stan adjusted his course to retrieve it, and the others followed.

"I think Stan is right," said Split, who always thought Stan was right. He was not even six months old. Split had begun to follow Stan, Caro, and Lem around shortly after he hatched, and he had proven himself to be an excellent yes-man.

Caro was obviously unhappy, but he let the matter drop. He never defied Stan. None of them did.

They continued to walk and joke. Well, Stan, Caro, and Split did. Lem never spoke unless he had to. He had always been quiet and timid. He was Harmony's seventh child, only a couple of months younger than Blizz and Jay, and the first of her sons who had been born without a twin. Even before he hatched, he had been an outsider. Night and the others had tried to include him in their games…for a while. Lem had never been any good at fighting or racing or anything, really, and the fact that he never wanted to talk drove the twins away.

He hadn't made a true friend until Stan hatched. Both of them had been lonely and quiet, so they complimented each other well. Lem had not changed over the years, but Stan had. He was mean and arrogant now, and the biggest bully in the PC, or at least in Box Four. But Lem couldn't stop being his friend. If he left Stan, he would have nobody. Maybe he would end up just like poor Oliver, constantly bullied with nobody to help. He wouldn't be able to handle that. So he walked with them, hating himself, hating his part in their endeavors. He always kept slightly behind them, as though that could disassociate him from them.

"Can you hear that?" Caro asked suddenly.

Stan's ears perked up. "I hear _something_."

Lem heard it too. Smashing noises; grunts of pain; someone cheering.

"Sounds like a battle." Caro was looking over in the direction of the noises.

"I want to watch," Split said in his young, whiny voice.

"I want to _fight_ ," said Caro.

"Could be dangerous," Stan said.

"Not for us," Caro said. "You and I are stronger than anyone."

Stan still looked unsure. He put his paw atop the big red ball and rolled it around a bit. "We'll go see," he said after a while. "But we'll sneak up slowly. Just in case." He kicked the ball hard, sending it flying deeper into the woods.

Stan said he was pretty sure that the fight was happening just outside of the forest, so they made their way over to the treeline, slowly and carefully. Stan didn't allow anyone to speak. The trees began to thin out, and Lem could see dark thunderclouds in the sky above. The rain was falling more steadily now. Lem's fur was soaked, and the cold was almost too much to bear. But he kept following and did not complain.

They stopped at the treeline, and saw the source of the noise. It was indeed a battle—the strangest, most lopsided battle that Lem had ever seen. There were five pokémon out there in the rain, and three were watching. Lem recognized the two that were fighting. One was Scull the houndour, who probably the best fighter in the PC. The other was Oliver.

"It's the freak," Caro said.

"No talking," Stan whispered. "I don't want them hearing us."

So they all watched wordlessly, hidden by the trees. There was no contest, of course. Every time Oliver tried to attack, Scull pushed him away with little effort. The houndour never made his own attack.

"How come he's not hurting him?" Caro asked, apparently unable to grasp the concept of mercy.

" _Be quiet!_ " Stan hissed.

The three spectators were shouting encouragement, though they were too far away for Lem to hear their exact words. He thought he recognized one of them, the machop. He wasn't sure if he had ever seen the skitty or the growlithe before.

The four of them did not watch for long. In less than a minute, Stan turned away and began to walk back into the forest. Caro, Split, and Lem had no choice but to follow.

"Why'd you run?" Caro asked once they were far enough away. "We should've gone out to fight them. Then we could've taken the freak for ourselves."

"I didn't run," Stan said, growling. "I'm just not as stupid as you. Those other four are on the trainer's main battling team."

"Why are they out here?" Split asked him.

"Why do you think? They're practicing. Training."

"They have the freak," Caro pointed out.

"Do I look blind? I saw my brother. They're training him."

"Why would they do that?" Split said. "I thought everyone hated Oliver 'cause of his eyes. That's what you told me."

Stan didn't answer for a while. He looked like he was chewing on his tongue. "I guess those others are freaks too, then."

"Then we _have_ to go hurt them!" Caro said. "They deserve it."

Stan rounded on the poochyena. "I don't _have_ to do anything you tell me. If you want to go get yourself beaten up, then go. I'm going home before this rain gets any worse. You coming with me or not?"

Caro looked taken aback. He nodded.

"Go on ahead, then. I need to get the ball from the woods, then I'll meet up with you. Split, go back with Caro and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Lem, you come with me."

Lem flinched, just as he always did when he was called on. "All right," he said. He had not spoken for hours.

Split and Caro walked away and eventually disappeared into forest. Lem followed Stan around trees, back to wherever the ball was.

"That stupid poochyena will get us killed someday," Stan muttered as they walked.

Lem didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything. Rainwater still leaked through the treetops.

"I should've given Split a better excuse about Oliver," Stan continued. "Plenty of eevee have red eyes. I've seen a few. Some of them were nice." He shook his head. "Caro never needed an excuse, but Split did. He just wants to do what I do. He wouldn't hurt someone for no reason, though. The only reason he believed me is 'cause he's so young. I know you never believed me, even though you never said so."

Well, he was wrong about that. Lem had always thought that Stan just hated Oliver's eyes. Maybe that's because he was too afraid to question his brother. "Why _do_ you hate him, then?"

"Honestly?" Stan said. "I don't even know. There's something about him. He _is_ a freak. A monster. I don't know why. He just is. You can tell by the way he looks at you, the way he looks up at the sky for hours and hours and never says a word. That kid is dangerous."

 _And you're not?_ Lem thought. It was a dangerous thought, and he knew better than to give it a voice. He said nothing.

This time, Stan noticed his silence. "I wish you would talk more. You used to talk to me. You were always quiet, but you at least used to say a little, when it was just you and me. Before Caro."

 _Before you changed._ "I'm just quiet."

Stan studied him. "Well, whatever. Come on, let's just get home before the sky opens up and drowns us."

"What about the ball?"

"I don't care about that blasted toy. I just wanted to get away from that stupid poochyena and that stupid kit and their stupid words. Sometimes I wish I'd never met either of them." He was silent for a moment. "I don't feel that way about you, though, Lem. Sometimes I think you're the only real friend I have."

 _You'd think differently if you knew how I really felt about you._ "I feel the same way, Stan."

They made their way back out of the forest and found the sidewalk that would lead them to their trainer's house. From here it was about two miles away. The rain was falling hard now, so hard that it almost hurt. Lem couldn't wait to get back to the PC. As soon as they entered that electronic world, they would be dry.

"You know why they're training him, right?" Stan asked. He spoke loudly so that his voice could be heard over the rain. "They're teaching him to defend himself. Against us."

 _Against you_ , Lem thought, _not me_. But he knew that by letting it happen, he had played a part in Oliver's suffering as well. He tried not to think about that.

"I don't like this, Lem. I don't think this is going to end well. For anyone."

Finally, after a very long and miserable walk, they reached the house. By then the rain _did_ hurt, and thunder clapped every few seconds. The two brothers leapt over the backyard fence and hurried over to the unlocked door. Stan got there first, and pushed it open. The trainer was inside. She glanced at the eevee, but then looked away. She didn't seem to care that they were both dripping water onto the kitchen floor.

Mother was inside as well. She obviously hadn't been out recently, because her fur was perfectly dry. She hopped off of the couch and walked toward them.

"Oh, you two should know better than to go out when it's raining like this." She didn't sound angry with them. In fact, she sounded eager about something. Almost anxious.

"Sorry, Mother," Stan said politely. "We didn't think it would get so bad. Did Caro and Split make it back safely?"

"They did. You four should really stick together if you're going to go so far away."

"What about Oliver?" Lem asked. "Did he make it back?"

"Oliver? I didn't know he left. Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I saw him. Was he by himself?"

"He was with Scull," Lem told her.

"Really?" She looked a little surprised. "Well, I'm sure he's fine, then."

"We're going to the PC to dry off," Stan said.

"You go, Stan." She looked at Lem. "But you stay." She had that anxious look on her face again.

Stan looked a bit confused, but he obeyed. Lem and Mother stood alone in the kitchen.

Mother looked over at the trainer, who was playing on her phone. "Let's go outside, Lem."

"Outside? It's pouring."

"We'll stay on the patio, so the rain won't touch us."

Lem desperately craved the PC's warm interior, but he didn't want to defy his mother. "Will it take long?"

"Of course not. Come." And she led him back out of the door and onto the patio. The breeze made him shiver.

"You know what happened to the twins, don't you?" Mother asked him over the wind.

"They ran away. All six of them."

"Do you know why?"

 _Because Night didn't want to be your mate,_ he thought. Everyone knew that by now. But it would have been rude to tell her that, so he said, "No."

"Your father is much older than me," Mother began. "I knew that he wouldn't be my mate forever. So I made a plan for when he would no longer be able to make eggs with me. Night was that plan. He was my oldest son, and I loved him, and I thought he loved me too. I was wrong, though. When I asked him to be my mate, he repaid all of my love by running off with Sky and the other twins. I didn't know they were gone until the next morning. I had sixteen sons, but now I only have ten. You're the oldest now."

That was when Lem realized where she was going with this. He was her seventh son, but now that the oldest six were all gone… "You're asking me to be your mate?"

Mother lifted her paw to stroke the fur on his back. "Would you like that?"

 _Did_ Lem want that? He wasn't sure he did. He said, "I'm sure Night will come back. I bet you just scared him. He'll be back, I know he will." He tried to give her an encouraging smile, but his teeth were chattering from the cold.

"No," Harmony said, still stroking his fur, "Night won't be coming home. Neither will the others. You're all I have left. Oh, think about it, Lem. We could make so many eggs. We'll have more twins than we know what to do with! And you'll give me so many daughters, I know you will. You'll be a good father. You want that, don't you, Lem? Don't you?"

Lem was taken aback. Harmony looked very desperate now, and she was speaking very quickly. He was starting to grow a little afraid. "But…Night…"

Mother's claws suddenly dug into his flesh. "Your brother Night is dead, and so is his little whore. The other four are dead as well. You'll never see them again. And unless you want to join them, you'll never _speak_ of them again. You'll never be half as good as Night, but you _are_ my oldest son now, and you _will_ be my mate. Do you understand?"

Lem began to cry.

Mother pushed her claws in further. Something trickled down his back, and he didn't think it was water. " _Do you understand?_ "

He nodded.

Mother's claws pulled out of his flesh. "Good." Her face showed the warmest smile. "Come, then, let's get you dried off. We have a lot to talk about."


	10. Jay 3

**Jay**

Down on the mats below, eight pokémon were fighting. Half of them were eevee kits, and the other four were Rangers. They had broken off into pairs so that each of the kits could try sparring with a more experienced opponent. Lyra the lucario, Warden of the Fighters, moved around the room, fretting over the battles and scolding the Rangers whenever they got too rough with their partner. She paid special attention to her son, Spike, a young riolu with shifty, nervous eyes. Every movement he made seemed to be flavored with uncertainty, though his punches connected more often than not.

Despite Lyra's worrying, Spike was probably the one she needed to watch the least. The other three seemed far more dangerous. The leader of the Ranger team, the eevee that Char had named Red, never passed up an opportunity to hurt his kit. He was probably the worst fighter of the four, but since he was fighting a child that didn't really matter. His attacks were slow but he struck brutally hard. A cruel smile formed on his face whenever he drew blood from an opponent, and his red eyes were filled with a lust for violence.

Char was sparring as well. Jay was pretty sure that the charmander knew some elemental attacks, but he wasn't using them right now. He relied mainly on his claws to fend off his kit, and occasionally he swung his burning tail around to spook the eevee into retreating. Lyra frowned at him whenever he did that. She didn't seem to trust his fire.

The fourth Ranger, a pawniard named Blade, was by far the best. It was hard to tell whether he was fighting or dancing. He moved graciously and constantly, carrying the momentum from one attack into the next. Despite the fact that the lower ends of his arms were knives, he never actually hurt any of the kits. Occasionally he would smack them with the flat side of his arm, but that was it.

Jay watched them from the bleachers. Dane the servine sat next to him, keeping Jay company as he waited for his turn to spar. Almost fifty kits filled the benches. The High Warden was down in the center of the lowest row, with Terrin and Doki seated to his left and right. Occasionally one of them would make a comment to the absol, and the High Warden would listen, sometimes nod, but never say a word in response.

This would be the last day they spent in the Ward of the Fighters. It was the third day that they had come down to this sparring room to spend hours on the bleachers, watching each of the kits take their turn, four at a time. They had gotten through sixteen on the first day and another sixteen on the second. Jay had spent both sessions worrying about when his time would come, but in the end he had not been called on. Now the third day was nearing its conclusion, and only four eevee had not yet been chosen to step down onto the mats for the High Warden's judgement. Jay was among those four. He knew that his turn was coming as soon as this current set was finished.

"I hope I get Blade," Jay confided to Dane, hoping that some idle conversation would ease his nervousness.

Dane looked confused. "Why? He's the best of all of us. Maybe you'll get me. I'll go easy on you if you do." The servine had spent most of the past three days fighting, but the six Rangers had a rotation, and right now it was Dane's turn to take a break. The last Ranger, a very fat eevee named Sig, sat over on the other side of the bleachers, dwarfing the kits that surrounded him.

"He's the most careful, though," Jay said. Blade had not spilled a single drop of blood in any of his battles over these three sessions. He hadn't taken any wounds, either, but that didn't really matter to Jay. "He won't hurt me even if I lose."

"You _will_ lose. You'll lose no matter which of us you get matched with. You're not supposed to win. The High Warden just wants to see how you do against a better opponent. He wants to see if you'll beg for mercy, or if you'll cry, or if you'll refuse to fight. Want my advice? Do _not_ do any of those things. The High Warden hates cowards."

Jay had already learned that for himself. Most of the kits had been obedient, but a few had broken down in tears and tried to flee when their turn came to fight. The High Warden had sent those away. Jay didn't know where they had been taken, but he hadn't seen any of them since then.

"Anyway, as I was saying," Dane continued, "you don't want to fight Blade. You won't get hurt, but you won't land a single attack either, and that's no way to make a good impression. And honestly, it may not be the best idea to try me or Char. I'm sure the High Warden knows you're friendly with us, and he might see that as taking the easy way out. You could try Sig…but he puts that weight of his to good use, and he's quicker than you'd expect. Besides, he'll probably manage to get out of the next shift anyway. He always manages to avoid doing work."

That only left Spike and Red. "Who, then?" Jay asked.

Dane thought for a moment. "I'd go with Red."

"Really?" Jay had spent plenty of time watching the team leader, and he was not eager to fight him.

"Yep. He's the dangerous choice, but you actually have a chance with him. You've seen him. He's a slow, heavy attacker. Those are the easiest to beat. In my opinion, anyway." Dane shrugged. "But hey, if you want the safe choice, pick Spike, or me, or Char. Doesn't matter to me. Just know that you have no shot against us three. We fight more carefully than Red. He puts all of his weight into every attack, and he gets stupid when he's angry. He might hurt you, but if you're good, maybe you can turn the tables on him."

Jay stayed silent as he thought. _If I fight Red, maybe I can impress the High Warden._ It startled him to realize just how badly he wanted that. Why was he so concerned with the absol's opinion of him? He wasn't even sure what the High Warden _wanted_ from him, or why he was even here. Nobody had explained anything to him. He had asked Doki once, but she hadn't told him anything either.

"How come you're helping me, anyway?" Jay asked after a while.

Dane gave him a look. "Well, we're friends, right? Friends help each other."

"Yeah," Jay said, "but Red's your friend _and_ your teammate. Why tell me how to beat him?"

"I dunno. Maybe I just want to see all of that arrogance catch up to him." Dane smiled. "Honestly, he's not a tenth as good as he thinks he is. Well, none of us are great at fighting, except Blade. That's why we're here in the first place, y'know? We're a pretty new team, and we need the practice as much as you kits do. Blade, Char, and I got shipped in from the Unova branch less than a year ago."

"The Unova branch?"

"What, you think this is the only Lab?" He laughed. "Nah, there's at least one in every region. Most of the branches specialize in a certain kind of pokémon. That's why there's so many eevee here. When a branch needs Rangers or Wardens or something like that, they'll usually take some of the more qualified pokémon from another branch to fill the slot."

"Oh." Jay _had_ been wondering why almost everyone he saw was an eevee, but he hadn't really bothered to ask about it.

He was trying to think of something else to say when the High Warden rose from his seat.

"Enough," said the absol. All four fights stopped immediately. Lyra approached him, and she, Doki, Terrin, and the High Warden held a brief, quiet conversation. The Rangers and kits on the mats stood around quite awkwardly as the four talked.

They were done in less than a minute. Lyra backed away again, and the High Warden began to speak, addressing the four kits who had been sparring. "Thank you for your cooperation. I have judged your skills. You may return to the benches." Jay had heard him say those exact words more than half a dozen times. The old absol turned to face the rest of the kits behind him. "If my count is correct, only four of you remain to be tested. Doki, Terrin, kindly retrieve them. Rangers, you may take a short break as they prepare for battle."

Terrin climbed up the ascending seats, making a beeline straight for Jay. "Your turn, beast," he muttered when he reached him.

Jay had no choice but to follow. His anxiety returned as he made his way down the ground. A dozen kits were looking right at him. He tried to ignore them. Doki smiled at him as he passed her, and that made him feel a little better. He stepped down onto the mat, and the other three eevee crawled down beside him.

The High Warden stepped up to them. "You should all know what is expected of you by now. Do any of you have any questions?" When none of them responded, he said, "Good. And are any of you too frightened to participate? Say the word, and I will send you away." Again, neither Jay nor the kits opened their mouths. The High Warden nodded. "It will begin as soon as the Rangers are ready, then. Good luck." He turned away and walked back to his seat.

The Rangers were back a few minutes later. Blade, Char, and Red resumed their positions on the fighting grounds. Dane descended from the bleachers to replace Spike. Sig, Jay noticed, had indeed managed to get out of this shift.

Lyra approached the four eevee. "Go on," she said. "Pick a partner."

Jay still wasn't entirely sure who to choose. He had ruled out Blade, but that still left Dane, Char, and Red. _Should_ he choose Red? Dane had told him to, but maybe the servine was wrong. The team leader didn't look like he had grown any kinder in the past ten minutes. It would be so much easier to fight Dane, who had promised to go easy on him…

The three kits were hesitating as well. They all looked scared. _Well, one of us needs to go_ , Jay thought. The High Warden might get mad if they didn't move soon. He suppressed a sigh, then stepped over toward Red.

The red-eyed eevee looked shocked that he would be anyone's first choice. Then he laughed. "You're stupider than you look, kid. All right, we'll see what you can do." He continued to chuckle, but his expression had changed to one of loathing. Had Jay somehow wounded his pride? Suddenly this didn't seem like such a good idea. _I really need to stop making enemies…_

Lyra noticed the look as well. "Don't you do anything stupid," she warned Red, but he didn't acknowledge her.

Jay's decision had inspired the other three to act as well. The first kit went to Dane, the second to Char. The last reluctantly stepped across the room to face Blade. Jay prepared himself, and so did everyone else.

"Begin," the High Warden commanded.

 _Remember what Dane said_ , Jay told himself as Red began to stalk toward him. _He hits hard, but he's slow. Anger makes him stupid._ But how could Jay abuse that? He would need to figure that out very soon.

Red increased his pace. He had closed half of the distance between them. _I'll just dodge for now,_ Jay decided. Would that make him look cowardly? He hoped not.

He leapt away from the first scratch. Red had obviously been expecting him to be slower, so Jay was able to dodge it easily. The second attack came more quickly, but Jay managed to avoid that one as well.

Red chased him across the room. Jay no longer cared that he was being watched; he was focused entirely on the fight. The scratches kept coming, and Jay kept dodging. With every attack, the red-eyed eevee seemed to grow angrier. His swipes began to come more quickly.

"Quit running and _fight,_ " Red said, glaring.

Jay did not respond. He rolled away from another attack. He was growing tired from all this moving, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it up.

The next scratch came too quickly, and Red's claw grazed Jay's flesh as he jumped out of the way. Jay felt a flash of pain. He didn't have time to check if the blow had drawn blood. He forced himself to forget about his fatigue.

Red was satisfied. "Come and fight me properly, or you'll get worse." He came forward again.

But Jay continued to run and dodge. He forced himself to be quick, and took no chances. Red began to grow angry again. Fortunately, the red-eyed eevee's heavy attacks were taking a toll on him. He looked like he was growing tired more quickly than Jay. His attacks slowed, his run became a walk, and he took sharp, heavy breaths.

 _Now's my chance,_ Jay knew. He charged at his opponent, hoping to take him off guard.

He realized too late that Red had only been faking his fatigue.

As Jay pounced, the other eevee's paw came up and slammed into him, knocking Jay away. He fell hard onto the floor. He tried to rise but Red was already standing over him. The leader of the Rangers smirked, then scratched Jay across the chest. It wasn't a very hard scratch, but it hurt Jay's pride.

Lyra appeared beside them. "All right, step off him," she told Red. "You've won."

Red obeyed. He gave Jay one last smirk, then turned around and started walking across the mat.

That smirk filled Jay with rage.

He sprung to his feet and sprinted toward his opponent. Red never even heard him. He yelped as Jay bowled into him and knocked him to the ground. Then, without even thinking about it, Jay began to attack, just as he had attacked Flame in the Unnamed Forest.

Some time later, Lyra dragged him off. "That's enough of that," she said, dropping Jay to the floor.

Red got to his feet. Jay must not have been on him for too long, because he was only bleeding a little. "That's _cheating!_ " he screamed in a whiny voice. "My back was turned!"

"You taunt your opponent, turn your back, and expect nothing bad to happen?" The High Warden was approaching. The others were no longer sparring. All eyes were on Jay and Red.

Red was seething. He looked like he hadn't even heard the absol's words. He gestured toward Jay. "I want him killed. I want him _dead_."

"Why should I have him killed? He taught you a valuable lesson, and all you had to pay was a bit of blood. I call that a bargain. Pain fades, but knowledge does not."

"It was cowardly on his part," Red snarled.

"And foolish on yours." The High Warden gave him a scolding look. "If you cannot even defeat a child, then why do I have you leading a Ranger team? Perhaps you would serve me better in the kitchens?"

Red looked away. "No."

"I thought not. Next time I watch you fight, you will give me a better show." The High Warden turned away from him. "Go."

Red went.

The High Warden looked to Jay. "That was not the most graceful win I have ever seen," the absol said. "But a victory is a victory, I suppose. Perhaps you truly do have promise."

Jay didn't know what to say. "Thank you, sir," he managed.

The High Warden did not respond, or give any indication that he had heard Jay. He was already turning his head to the others who had been sparring. "I have seen enough of these other kits for now. You three may return to the bleachers. Charmander, Servine, go with your leader. Or stay and watch, if you wish. It does not matter to me. Pawniard, come here."

Blade approached. He even walked elegantly. "Yes, sir?" He bowed.

"You and Jay will spar. I am curious to see the result."

 _Oh_ , Jay thought.

Blade bowed again. "As you command, sir."

Two minutes later, Jay and Blade stood at their starting points. Because there were no longer three other fights going on at the same time, they had more room to move around than before. They were twenty feet apart. Blade had his deadly arms up near his chest in a fighting stance. Jay knew that he was probably supposed to do something similar, but he wasn't really sure what post to make. It made him feel silly to just stand there in front of everyone. He knew that everyone's eyes were on him. The High Warden was watching, and so was Doki, and Terrin, and Dane and Char, and all those eevee kits were still there as well. But Jay wasn't looking back at them. Blade stared at him with dark, unblinking eyes, and Jay returned the gaze.

"Begin," the High Warden called out.

In his other matches, Blade had been careful, patient, and methodical. Now he adopted a new strategy. As soon as he heard the word, he sprinted right at Jay with one arm raised, ready to strike.

Jay forced himself to stand his ground. He knew he was going to lose, but he wouldn't be a coward. All of his rage was gone.

The pawniard had closed most of the distance. It was time to act.

He rolled away from the first slash, but Blade had been expecting that. The pawniard raised his foot and put it firmly on Jay's body, pinning him to the floor.

 _Great_ , Jay thought. _I already lost._

But after a few moments, Blade backed away and allowed him to rise. He stared at Jay with eyes that showed no emotion. The fighting resumed.

It went on for a while, but it went the same way every time. Blade would attack. Jay would dodge. Blade would stop the dodge. The cycle repeated a dozen times. Twice, Jay tried to attack, but Blade danced away from his strikes and delivered his own.

It was a little bit humiliating, since everyone was so focused on him. Jay could feel the rage slowly building up inside of him again. He tried to harness it, but he didn't know how. It grew on its own, expanding constantly.

Finally, after ten minutes of failed attempts, the rage came back to him fully. Jay considered the emotion for a moment. Then he charged straight at Blade, ready to hurt him the same way that he had hurt Red.

Blade's eyes showed the tiniest bit of surprise. He held his ground and waited for Jay to get close.

When they were two feet apart, Blade's arm lashed out. Jay just barely managed to duck under the slash, then sprang up to pounce at Blade's vulnerable body. He soared through the air, speeding toward the pawniard, and—

Something heavy slammed into the side of his head. Jay's trajectory changed, and he ended up crashing into the floor instead of the pawniard. He gasped when he landed. His head hurt so badly that he wondered if he was dying. A few drops of blood rolled down his cheek. That was when he realized what had hit him. Blade's arm. Only the dull side, fortunately, but the metal slap had still been agonizing.

Jay tried to get to his feet, but then the pawniard was there, standing over him. He put his foot on Jay. "We are done," he said.

Jay reluctantly nodded.

The High Warden agreed as well. He rose from his seat to speak. "Thank you both for your cooperation." Thankfully, he didn't look or sound disappointed in Jay. "Rangers, I no longer require your assistance. You may return to your team's chambers." Once they had left, the absol continued, addressing all of the kits. "I have evaluated each of you, and deemed most of you adequate enough to continue your training. However, some of you are not suited to this task. If I call your name, come to me." He gave seven names. Jay didn't recognize any of them. Those kits descended to the floor, each one looking nervous.

"I thank you for your time," the High Warden said to them, "but I have no use for you here. Doki will escort you back to the Cells. Each of you will be sent to a new Ward in the morning. Do not speak of your time here to anyone."

Doki gathered those seven up and led them from the room. Jay was still on the floor, feeling out of place.

The High Warden had more to say. "The rest of you have passed this first test. Tomorrow, your real training begins. Each of you will be assigned to a Warden, who will teach you the ways of their Ward."

After that announcement, he was done. The High Warden said something to Terrin, and then left the room.

"With me, beast," Terrin said, approaching Jay. Jay followed.

Terrin ordered all of the kits off of the bleachers. Once they were all on the floor, he said, "I'm bringing you back to your room. Keep up or you'll be punished."

They exited the sparring room and began to make their way down one of the Lab's huge hallways. The Ward of the Fighters was comprised almost entirely of arenas and practice areas. Doki had told Jay that, because those rooms took up so much space, it was one of the largest Wards in the Lab.

After a few minutes of walking, Terrin looked back and eyed Jay. "Up here, beast," he said.

 _What does he want now?_ Jay wondered. Maybe he was going to mock him for losing to Blade. Well, he couldn't exactly defy a Warden, so he stepped up to walk beside him.

"You're stupider than I thought," Terrin growled.

Even for Terrin, that was awfully direct. "Why?" Jay asked.

"For trusting those Rangers. You think they're your friends?"

"They _are_ ," Jay assured him. "Dane told me they so. He even gave me advice on how to beat Red."

"That servine is almost an adult. Why would he want to be friends with a child?" Terrin shook his head. "He's just using you, beast. He knows you're a Halfman, and he knows the High Warden's taken an interest in you. The way he sees it, you're either going to end up as someone important, or you're going to end up dead. He wants you to like him in case you succeed. But if you fail, don't expect him to grieve for you. He'll forget your name within the week, and then he'll move on to the next pokémon he thinks he can leech off of."

Could that be true? Jay didn't want to believe it. "Why are you telling me this? I thought you hated me."

"Hate you?" Terrin snorted. "No, beast. I only dislike you. That's different from hate. The things I _hate_ are liars and leeches and cheats. Never could stand them."

"Dane and Char seem so friendly, though…"

"I told you already, beast, they only _seem_ that way. They can act nice if it pays them. But don't think that's really them. I've heard things about that servine. He likes to hurt things." Terrin glared at Jay. "Do you even now what a Ranger's job is?"

Jay shook his head. Someone had told him once, but now he couldn't remember.

"They're the only ones who're allowed to leave the Lab," Terrin told him. "They get sent off into the wild to find as many eevee as they can. They fight them into submission and bring them back to this hellhole. That's what these friends of yours do. The humans specifically choose the most ruthless and violent pokémon to become Rangers. Empathy is seen as a negative trait."

Jay was surprised to hear that. "I'll think about what you said."

"Good. Now get back with the others, beast."

An hour or so later, after a quick stop at the cafeteria, they got back to the room that Doki had dropped him off at on the first night. It was dark inside, and blankets were strewn about the floor.

"Go on," Terrin said. "Get in."

Jay entered the room, and half of the kits followed him inside. The other half needed to be led to the other room a few hundred feet away. Once everyone was inside, Terrin pushed the door closed until only a small ray of light came in from the hallway.

Now it was time to sleep. Jay had grown to hate this part of the day. Back in Box Four, he had always been able to fall asleep snuggled next to Blizz and the other twins. But his brothers were gone now, and he wasn't sure he would ever see them again.

The loneliness wasn't the worst part, though. No, the nightmares were the worst. Every night, Jay dreamed something terrible. He usually couldn't even remember what they were about by the next morning, but he knew that the visions he saw were terrifying. Maybe he was only having them because he was in a new place, or because he was scared, or something like that. They would pass soon, hopefully, and then he could go back to dreaming about normal things.

Everyone went to claim a spot on the blankets. A few of the kits had made friends, and they held whispered conversations with each other. Jay ignored their noises as he laid down and closed his eyes. He snuggled against a random kit's mane.

The room slowly grew silent as everyone fell asleep. The conversations died out, replaced by snoring.

An hour passed, but Jay was still wide awake. He _wanted_ to sleep, but his body wouldn't let him. Maybe it was because he missed his brothers, or because he was scared of the nightmares. He wasn't sure.

Eventually, he decided that he couldn't take being still any longer. Jay rose quietly and carefully, making sure not to disturb the kits around him. He stepped over sleeping bodies as he made his way to the door, then pushed it open.

As soon as he stepped out into the hallway, he knew he was making a bad decision. Nobody had explicitly forbade him from wandering the halls on his own, but he knew that the High Warden probably wouldn't approve. _I should go back and close my eyes and try to sleep._ He didn't, though. Jay was restless, and he wanted to explore. For some reason he wasn't afraid of the consequences, even though he knew he should be. So he began to step down the dark, empty hallway, wondering what he would find.

Before he had gone a hundred feet, someone rounded a corner and saw him.

Doki looked like she was as surprised as Jay. "Hey, you can't…Jay?"

He had frozen midstep. "Hi," he said nonchalantly.

"Terrin must have put you to bed more than an hour ago," Doki said. "Why aren't you asleep?"

He decided to be honest. "I have nightmares."

Doki gave him a look that was somehow scolding and sympathetic at the same time. "Well, a lot of pokémon here have that problem. I can't say why, but…well, you'll find out for yourself tomorrow. The High Warden's assigned you to Resin." She walked over to him. "Anyway, you can't just stop sleeping because of nightmares. And you _definitely_ can't just go and wander off on your own. If a Watcher had found you…" She shook her head. "Promise me you won't sneak off without a Steward. It's dangerous."

"I promise," Jay said, feeling a little ashamed. "I'll go to bed now. I don't think I can sleep, though. I'm not even tired."

Doki studied him. Then she sighed and said, "Why don't you come with me? I'm patrolling the area for…well, to catch kits like you who sneak through the halls at night. The Watchers won't bother you if you're with me, and it might be nice to have some company. My shift ends in an hour. You can go to bed afterward."

Jay didn't have much of a choice, so he agreed. They walked back and forth through the same few hallways, watching for anything out of the ordinary.

"I don't see how you can be so alert," Doki told him as they patrolled. "With how hard you fought today, I figured you'd be the most tired out of all the kits. But the others are all asleep, and you're here."

"The others are just _babies_ ," Jay said. "I'm not a baby, though." He was a little more than two years old, and that wasn't young at all.

That made Doki laugh. "I guess you're right," she said. "You're definitely not like all the others. When they were sparring, they just focused on avoiding pain. None of them actually tried to fight except you. The High Warden liked that, you know. He told me. That's why he wanted to see how you did against Blade."

"I lost, though," Jay said glumly. His face still hurt a little bit where Blade had slapped him.

"Nobody expected you to win. Terrin even tried to get the match called off. He said it was a waste of time. The High Warden insisted, though." She smiled at him. "He said you did well."

"I didn't even touch him," Jay objected.

"No, but you almost did, near the end. That's more than any of his other opponents can say."

"I guess." Jay didn't really see why it mattered if he _almost_ did, but he wasn't going to argue.

They returned to silence for a while. Jay decided that patrolling was pretty boring. Minutes crawled by. He wanted to start talking again but he didn't know what to say.

Eventually he decided on a topic of conversation. "How did you get to the Lab?" he asked.

Doki froze. "What?"

Something about the tone of her voice made him hesitate. But he was curious, so he carried on anyway. "Why are you here? Were you kidnapped, like me?"

"You shouldn't ask questions like that." Doki's voice had grown stiff. "You'll make someone angry. Most of us don't like to think about the lives we lived before the Lab. It reminds us of what we lost."

"I was just wondering," Jay said. "I'll tell you about what my life was like, if you want." She didn't answer either way, so he continued. Jay spoke for a long time about all of his brothers. He spoke about Night, and how he had always been the unofficial leader, and he spoke about Flame, who could always make you laugh. He spoke about Box Four, and the games they played there, and how nice it was. Most of all, he spoke about Blizz, and how inseparable they had been before the Lab had separated them three days ago. He didn't realize he was crying until he felt a tear rolling down his face. Doki never interrupted, but she seemed to be listening.

"It was a good life," Jay said, trying to dry his eyes. "It ended when Mother sold the six of us because she got mad at Sky."

Doki stopped and looked at him abruptly. "Your own mother sold you to these people?"

Jay nodded.

Doki gave him a sad look, then turned her head back forward and continued walking. She said, "Maybe we're not so different. My mother sold me as well."

Jay looked up. "Really? What happened?" It wasn't until after he said it that he realized that it might have been a sensitive topic.

But Doki didn't seem to mind this time. "I thought my mother loved me, but I guess she didn't. I don't know." Her mouth twisted, and now it looked like she was going to start crying as well. "That's not the worst part, though. If it was just me, it wouldn't be so bad. I could have a good life as…as a Steward.

"But it wasn't just me. I have a big family. Tons of siblings, and an aunt and an uncle. I've never met the aunt, but I was close with some of my uncle's kits. Two of them found out what happened to me, and they tried to save me." Her eyes were moist, glistening. "They failed, obviously, and they were taken too."

 _Like me_ , Jay thought. "I'm sorry."

Doki continued. "One was a girl and one was a boy. They made the girl a Breeder. I know she hated every second of it. She wanted to die. Eventually she managed to escape the Lab. I don't know how she did it, and I don't know where she is now. The boy escaped too, but they caught him again after a few months. The humans were suspicious of me for a long time. They thought I helped them get away. I didn't, though. Sometimes I wish I had."

When she finished speaking, a somber silence filled the hallway. Jay hated to see the girl so sad.

"None of that's your fault," he said, and meant it. "It's not like I blame Night or Sky for getting me here. It was your mother who made all that happen, not you."

Doki looked at him and smiled. Her eyes were still wet. "Those are kind words, Jay. I wish I could believe them."

The sound of their footsteps filled the air.

"I'm sorry," Jay said. "I shouldn't have brought all this up. You're sad now."

"Don't worry about it," Doki told him. "I guess it _is_ nice to talk about it with someone who understands. At least I got it all off my chest. But look, my shift is almost over. Time for you to go to bed."

Jay knew better than to argue. He let her lead him back to the room with all the kits. She closed the door behind him, and he went to lie down with the others. Jay felt a little bit better now, and it was almost easy to fall asleep.

That night he did not dream at all.

The following morning, Doki came in and woke them up early. She smiled at Jay when she saw him. Once everyone was up, she brought them to the cafeteria for breakfast. The brown slop was served every day for every meal. Sometimes it had chunks of meat in it, but today it didn't.

"You've all been assigned to a Warden," Doki announced as they ate. "I'll take you to them once you're done here. At the end of the day, I'll come around to retrieve you."

Fifteen minutes later, they started down the hallway again. Their first stop was the Ward of the Dreamers. Doki left five kits with Aidren the manectric, who seemed to be the Warden. After that, she led them to the Ward of the Rangers and the Ward of the Fighters. The two Wards appeared to overlap a bit. Next she took them to the Stewards, and then the Cells, and then the Deathseekers.

It took hours to visit all of the Wards. The time passed quickly, though; Jay and Doki spent most of the time talking to each other. The topics of their conversations were far more pleasant than they had been last night.

The numbers of the kits dwindled and dwindled until finally they had visited all but one of the Wards, and only Jay remained.

"You made me last on purpose, didn't you?" Jay grumbled. His paws were sore from all the walking.

"Maybe." Doki grinned at him. "I needed someone to talk to, didn't I? Besides, I don't like bringing too many pokémon to the Dark Cells at once. It's a dangerous Ward, and I don't want to be held responsible if a kit does something stupid."

"It's dangerous?"

"Oh, don't worry, you'll be fine. Just do what Resin tells you. He's a strange pokémon, but he knows what he's talking about."

As they walked toward the Dark Cells, the hallway seemed to thin out and grow even darker. Suddenly, there were no more branching paths. The doors along the walls became less frequent, and then they stopped appearing as well. It was just a straight path that stretched on and on.

They eventually reached a door at the end of the hallway. It was thick and made of iron, but apparently it was designed for pokémon to go through, because Doki was able to push it open and step inside.

Jay followed. This new room was very small, with black walls and no lighting at all. It was shaped like a square, with the same iron door in the center of each wall.

"The cells to the left and right are empty," Doki said. She gestured to the door directly in front of them. "Go in there and do as Resin says. I'll be back later." She started to walk back down the hallway. The door swung closed behind her, leaving Jay alone in the black room. There was nothing to do but go into the cell. Sighing, he walked over to the other door and pushed it open, expecting the worst.

But what he found on the other side wasn't so bad. The cell looked quite a lot like one of the control rooms back in his trainer's PC. The walls looked like they were made of dark metal. Two shelves full of buttons and switches jutted out of the back wall, one on the left side and one on the right. Between the shelves there was another, much larger door. Windows above the panels allowed Jay to see into the room beyond the door. It was pitch black in that room. Jay guessed that _that_ was the Dark Cell, and that this preceding room was only a place to monitor whatever lived inside of it.

There was a stool in front of each shelf. The vaporeon named Resin sat at the one on the right. Jay had only seen him once, four days ago, but he recognized the silly straw hat he wore.

Resin glanced over as Jay entered the room. He gestured over to the stool in front of the left shelf. "Go on, have a seat." The vaporeon looked and sounded exhausted. He had a soft, quiet voice.

Jay obeyed. He leapt up onto the seat. "What's in there?" he asked, looking through the window. It was too dark to see anything.

Resin took a long blink. "A Darkrai," he said unceremoniously.

Jay's head snapped over to look at the vaporeon. Resin fixed him with a small smile.

"You really are new, aren't you?" Resin said. "Most hear about him on their first day. I dunno how. Rumors, I guess. Or maybe the Wardens tell 'em. I don't really care."

"How can there be a Darkrai here?" Jay asked, astonished. "Aren't they supposed to be gods or something?"

"I dunno," Resin said. "Maybe. Didn't stop him from getting captured."

A steaming mug was resting on one of Resin's buttons, holding it down. The vaporeon stooped forward and lapped some black liquid out of it.

"What is that?" Jay asked, squinting.

"Coffee."

"Coffee?"

"Coffee."

Jay frowned. "I don't know what that is."

"Human drink," Resin said. "Helps you stay awake." He drank some more and sighed. "Tastes awful, if I'm honest. Bitter as all hell."

"Why do you drink it, then?"

"Well, I can't exactly be falling asleep in here, can I?" He looked at Jay like he was stupid. "Not with that Darkrai so close." He lapped up a bit more of the coffee. It splashed down onto the buttons and Resin accidentally flipped a few switches as he drank. "Whoops," he said, flipping them back. "Anyway, I probably don't really need it, but the humans think it's funny, so they give it to me. I just use the mug to hold that down." He gestured to the big red button.

Jay looked at his own panel. He had a similar button on his.

"Don't go pressing that," Resin warned him. "It's an emergency switch. It'll free the prisoner. It only works if both are pressed at once. Usually I'm here by myself, so I keep this one pressed down all the time, so I can run over and hit that one if I have to. But yeah, if you hit that button, we're both dead." That didn't really seem to concern the vaporeon.

"Can't you just take the mug off the button while I'm here?" Jay asked, unsettled.

Resin considered that for a moment. "Nah. I like it there."

Jay just stared at him. How could this pokémon be a Warden? He was so unlike the other ones that Jay had met.

"Hey," Resin said, "you wanna go in and look at him?"

"Uh…not really."

"Too bad. It's about time to feed him anyway, and I don't feel like getting up." He pressed a button on his machine, and the door to the cell began to slide open. A dark aura seemed to leak into the room. "Don't worry, I'll do most of the work with these buttons. You just need to get everything in place."

Jay hopped down from his stool, feeling very nervous. "I didn't think god pokémon needed to eat."

"Well, they do. Go on, get in there. He can't hurt you. I mean, he _can_ , but only if you pass out or something. So don't do that."

Jay stepped into the Dark Cell. There was nothing but blackness around him.

"One sec," Resin called. "Let me get you some light." Jay heard him fumbling around on the control panel.

A bulb turned on in the cell. It gave off only a pitiful amount of light, but it was enough for Jay to make out his surroundings. The room was very small, maybe five square feet. The walls and floor were black. The ceiling was covered by a monstrous amount of machinery.

And in the center of the room, the Darkrai. It was bound by a thousand mechanical restraints. Its arms were tied to its sides, and it was gagged so that it could not speak. The machinery kept it suspended in the air a foot above the ground.

Its eyes snapped open. In the darkness its bright blue eyes seemed to glow. It stared at Jay emotionlessly. He took a step back.

"Oh, don't be so scared," came Resin's voice. "Here, I'm gonna lower the feeding tools."

A whirring sound came from overhead. Jay looked up to see something descending from the mechanical mess that made up the ceiling. It was a needle, attached to a big hunk of steel and a plastic tube.

"You'll need to stick that into a vein," Resin said. "Go find one on his arm."

It was a struggle for Jay to move the tool; it was clearly designed for humans. Eventually he managed to pull it over to the Darkrai, who made no attempt to resist. Jay searched for the vein on his arm. It was almost too dark to see, but in the end he found one. Somehow he was able to position the needle correctly and push it into the Darkrai's flesh. It didn't show any sign of pain.

"Got it?" Resin asked.

"I think so," Jay called back.

"Good."

Some light fluid began to travel through the tube connected to the needle. It went into the Darkrai's body. After almost a minute, the liquid stopped coming. On Resin's instructions, he removed the needle and watched as it was raised back up to the ceiling.

"All right," Resin said. "That's all you need to do. Come on back."

The Darkrai was still staring at Jay. He left the Dark Cell quickly. The door slid shut behind him, and the bulb inside of the cell flickered off.

"How'd you like that?" Resin asked him.

"It was scary," Jay admitted, jumping back onto his stool. "I thought you said I was going to feed him."

"You _did_ feed him. I've gotta say, those humans are geniuses. Evil geniuses, but whatever. That liquid gives him enough nutrients to stay alive, but since he's not actually eating he's too weak to break out of those restraints."

"Why don't they just keep him in a pokéball? Or a PC? He couldn't break out of those, could he? And they wouldn't even have to feed him _anything_."

"Well," Resin said, "they wanna do more than just keep him locked up. Pokémon like that have powers, kid. The humans use those machines to harness and abuse those powers. That's why the Ward of the Dreamers is near here."

"What do the Dreamers do?" Jay asked.

"Oh, they see things. All sorts of things, really. Sometimes they see the future, or the past, or something else." He scratched under the fin around his neck. "Oh, wait, I'm not supposed to tell you about all that stuff. Classified info, y'know? Sorry. I'm not a very good Warden, am I?"

Jay was silent as he tried to find a polite way to agree.

Resin let out a loud burst of laughter, startling Jay. "Ah, don't worry about it, kid. I know I am. _Everyone_ knows I am. But they can't replace me." He grinned. "They've _tried_ to replace me, kid. Two years back, the High Warden got sick of me, so he sent me off to the Cells. Three weeks later, he offered me the job back. In the time I was gone, five different pokémon were given the title of Warden of the Dark Cells. Four went mad after a few days. The fifth actually _fell asleep_." Resin snorted. "Poor fool. No, they can't afford to get rid of me, so I figure I might as well act however I want. I'm not gonna be as stuffy and proper as that old absol."

"How come you can handle the Ward so much better than everyone else?"

"Couldn't tell you. Maybe I've just gotten used to it. Just like that Darkrai in there. I was already here when they captured him. The first few months, he struggled constantly. Never slept, never kept still. But now years have gone by, and he's stopped fighting. I've known him for so long I almost think of him as a friend."

"Really?" Jay asked.

Resin laughed. "Nah, that's stupid. Maybe I would if he didn't hate me so much."

Jay looked at the vaporeon. "How can you tell he hates you? He doesn't talk or move or anything."

"Not while he's awake. But those creatures can travel through dreams, you know. He speaks to me every night. Makes me have the worst nightmares. Tells me how awful I am, how badly he wishes to kill me." Resin leaned forward and took another drink from his mug. When he spoke next, his voice was much softer. "I think that someday that wish might just be granted."

The rest of the day passed in silence.

When Doki finally came to retrieve him, Jay was relieved.

"Did he do well?" she asked when she stepped into the room. "Were there any issues?"

"If something had gone wrong," Resin said, staring into the void beyond the window, "you'd know."

Doki led him around to the Wards again, and they picked up the rest of the eevee as quickly as they could. It still took almost two hours, though, and by the time they were finished Jay was starving. He hadn't eaten since breakfast. Thankfully, they went to the cafeteria as soon as everyone had been gathered. The food served was the same brown slop as always.

Later that night, as Doki was putting the kits to bed, she stopped at the doorway and gestured for Jay to follow her. He did.

"I'm going to be patrolling again tonight," she said. "I thought you might like to come, since you don't like sleeping early."

Actually, after his dreamless sleep last night, Jay was no longer anxious about sleeping in the Lab. And because of his long day in the Dark Cells, he really was quite eager to get to bed…but for some reason he really wanted to go with her, too. So he nodded and followed along.

They were more talkative tonight than they had been the night before. They talked about happier things this time, and there were only a few pauses in the conversation. Jay was actually enjoying himself. Eventually Doki began to talk about some boy she used to have a crush on. Jay told her that he hated anything to do with romance.

"You wouldn't understand," Doki laughed. "You're not old enough."

"I am so," Jay pouted. "My brother Night had a mate, and he's only a few months older than me."

"Really? How old are you, exactly?"

"I'm two," Jay told her.

Doki scrunched up her face. "You're only two months old? I figured you were a little bit older than that, maybe four months. And your brother…"

"I'm two _years_ old," Jay said.

She just stared at him. "But…no that can't be right. You're so _small_."

"Everyone's always said I'm a runt."

Doki was quiet for a while. She looked a little bit scared. "Oh."

"What? Is that bad?" Suddenly Jay felt self-conscious.

"Yes, Jay," she said. "That's bad. Come with me. We need to go see the High Warden. Immediately."

Her sense of urgency frightened Jay. She moved quickly, and it was difficult for him to keep up.

They walked all the way back to the very first room that Jay had seen when he entered the Lab. This was where the Wardens had come to separate them. A bulb flickered and filled the room with light, and Jay could see the staircase against the wall. They climbed the stairs and came to the trapdoor at the top. There was an electronic scanner built into the ceiling next to the door. Doki placed her paw against it, there was a beeping noise, and the trapdoor opened up.

"Only Stewards, Wardens, and humans can open this door," Doki explained as they climbed out of the underground section of the Lab. She still looked worried, but she had calmed down a bit.

They left the room and entered another hallway. The lighting was excellent here, the walls were a pure white, and the floor was very clean. Jay could tell that this was a place for humans.

This section of the Lab was far less confusing than the underground was. It didn't seem to be as large as the winding maze downstairs. They moved quickly down the hallway toward wherever Doki was taking him.

It only took a few more minutes to get there. They met nobody else on the way. Jay knew they were close when he started to smell other pokémon.

Doki turned left into an empty doorway, and Jay went in after her. It seemed to be a bedroom for a pokémon, with a few doors that split off into other rooms. The High Warden stood inside. He looked like he had been pacing when he heard Doki and Jay approaching.

"Doki," he greeted. "You are back early." He turned his eyes to Jay. "And the boy…"

"This is important," Doki said. "It's about him."

The High Warden studied them both. "Very well. We will need to wake Terrin, I think."

"I'm up," a voice rasped. Terrin appeared from one of the adjoining rooms. His eyes were bloodshot. When he saw Jay, he groaned. "You again?"

Jay ignored him. "You all sleep up here?"

"All the Wardens have chambers above ground," Doki explained. "A few Stewards do too."

"Answer the boy's questions later," the High Warden told her. "What was so important that it could not wait until the end of your shift?"

Doki opened her mouth to reply, but something made her hesitate. Jay heard the sound as well. Approaching footsteps. Everyone turned toward the room's entrance. A few moments later, Bald appeared in the doorway. Jay was surprised to see him.

Terrin had not been expecting him either. "What are you doing here?" he said.

"I heard someone rushing down the halls," the furless eevee said. "I thought that I would investigate." He looked around and saw Jay. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

Terrin scoffed at that, but Jay wasn't really sure why.

"You may remain," the High Warden said, though he looked like he would rather send Bald away. "Doki was just about to tell us something that she claims is important."

Bald looked at Jay as he stepped into the room. "It's about the kit?" he inquired.

"That's the thing," Doki said. "He's not a kit at all. Just a runt."

The whole room grew very quiet. Everyone was looking at Jay.

"What?" he said. "What's wrong with being a runt?"

"How old is he, exactly?" the High Warden asked.

Doki answered. "Two years old."

Bald sighed. "Jay," he said slowly. "Over the past several days, did you not realize that _every other eevee_ you were grouped with was a kit?"

"I did," Jay said nervously.

"And did it not occur to you that we might have mistaken _you_ for a kit, due to your size?"

Jay blinked. "Oh."

Terrin was furious. " _Oh?_ You've caused all this trouble, and you say _oh?_ "

Jay took a step back, but somehow he found the courage to defend himself. "I _did_ tell you I thought I was in the wrong place. On the first day. You called me a beast and told me to stop talking to you."

The High Warden glared at Terrin. "Is this true?"

Terrin looked away. "Uh…yeah, I think I remember something like that."

"Then this is your mistake," the absol said. "You should have inspected the boy more closely."

"I still don't understand," Jay said. "Why does my age matter so much?"

"For one thing," Bald said, "it explains why the Halfman serum didn't affect you. The dose you were given was designed for an eevee younger than six months. Your body may be no larger than a kit's, but it is far more mature, and far more capable of fighting off such things."

The High Warden said, "It also tells us why you seemed so much more capable in the sparring room. Of _course_ a two-year-old would perform better than a six-month-old."

Now that it was all laid out in front of him, Jay felt stupid for not realizing it earlier. "So…what now?"

The High Warden sighed. "The Halfmen exclusively seek out kits. If you are older, you cannot be one of them."

"But why?" Jay said. He wasn't even sure why he was arguing, considering how dangerous the Halfman serum was, but for some reason this was important to him.

"To truly be a human," Bald said, "you must have humanity drilled into you from a young age. You must experience the language and culture before you turn two or so. Otherwise, you will always see other men as distant, loosely related creatures.

"But I _am_ two," Jay protested.

"A two-year-old eevee," Bald said. "But eevee mature more rapidly than humans. If you were a man, you would have the mind and body of a six-or-seven-year-old. It is too late for you to even become fluent in the human language."

"But I already know the human language," Jay said.

The room grew quiet again.

Jay hesitated, then continued. "I mean, not well or anything. But I know the letters, and some words. My brother was learning it before we got brought here, and he taught me some."

Terrin gave him a hard look. "If you're lying-"

"I'm _not_!" Jay insisted.

The High Warden stared at him, obviously thinking hard. "We will tell the humans of this. They will want to test you. If you are sufficient enough, then perhaps they will allow you to continue the Halfman training. Out of curiosity, if nothing else."

Bald said, "That doesn't seem likely to me. But I'll speak to them."

Jay resisted the urge to smile. It wasn't even close to a guarantee, but he had a good feeling that his training would indeed continue.

"And what about the other thing?" Terrin asked. "What about the _real_ training?" He looked at the High Warden.

The absol did not say anything for a very long time. Everyone waited for him to finish thinking. Finally he said, "That will continue as well."

Terrin looked incredulous. "But-"

The High Warden cut him off. "If he is capable of learning the human language as a pokémon, then he is likely capable of any task I give him. If it turns out that he is not, then we will deal with him then."

"What tasks are you talking about?" Jay asked.

The High Warden paused to think once again. "I suppose I might as well tell you now. I was planning to tell all of the kits before the end of the week."

"Is that wise?" Bald asked.

"Perhaps not," the High Warden replied. "But I have grown very tired of being wise." He looked to Jay. "You will have noticed that I am old. Very old. So old that my age is a constant barrier in everyday life. Not long ago, I realized that I am quickly growing incapable of running the Lab on my own. So I have decided to select a kit who is right for the job. I will groom them, train them, watch them grow. And in the end they will be as capable of ruling the Lab as I am."

Jay realized what the absol was saying. "You're looking for a partner?"

"No," the High Warden told him. "I am looking for a successor."


	11. Oliver 3

**Oliver**

The instant he woke up, Oliver's eyes sprang open. They were itchy with sleep and it was too dark to see anything, but he did not close them again. It was morning, after all, and Oliver had grown to love the mornings in Box Two.

He rolled away from the snoring houndour, careful not to wake him, and climbed off of the bed, stepping lightly onto the lush maroon carpet. Oliver felt his way across the room and journeyed out into the hallway, letting Scull's bedroom door swing closed behind him. Out here there were a few dim lights to guide him. He walked between the red walls, crawled down the red stairs, and came to the red lobby, which held all sorts of red furniture but was devoid of any life.

After all that red, the colors of the city were almost surprising. The moon and stars were bright, giving off enough light for Oliver to see his surroundings. There wasn't much to look at, though. Nobody else was awake at this early hour, and none of the shops would open until sunrise.

It was strange how much he relished this time. For the first time in his life, Oliver had friends. They were all much older than him, but they were kind to him, and they gave him a sort of happiness that Stan had never allowed him to have before.

And yet…

It seemed that he enjoyed these solitary walks more than he enjoyed the company of Scull and the others. He had spent his entire life wishing for friends, but now that he had some he just felt hollow. Why was that? He wasn't sure, but thinking about it terrified him. For the sake of his sanity, Oliver pushed the thought away and started down the sidewalk.

He would have an hour or so to himself before the day's Skychanger came out to bring the dawn. It only took a few minutes to walk from one end of the Box to the other, though, so Oliver went back and forth between the hotel and the cluster of shops, over and over again. _If someone sees me, they'll think I'm crazy_ , he thought. As he walked, he looked up at the night sky and entertained himself with whatever random thoughts popped into his mind, as he had done so often back in Box Four. He wasn't really doing anything, but for some reason he was still enjoying himself. Oliver had no way to tell the time, but he knew that it was passing quickly.

He made at least ten trips down the sidewalk and back before he saw another pokémon. Oliver was walking back toward the red hotel when the lobby doors slid open to let out a skitty. And suddenly, as he realized that his time alone was coming to an end, he felt that indescribably awful feeling again—the feeling that told him that he _wanted_ to be alone, forever and ever, and that this newcomer was not a friend but an annoyance. Once again, he pushed the thought away. _I'm not friendless anymore_ , Oliver told himself. _I don't have to be alone ever again._

The skitty saw him then, and she grinned. "Out for a walk, Olly?" she said loudly.

"I guess," Oliver replied. He hated to be called Olly, but he wasn't sure whether or not it would be rude to tell her that, so he didn't bring it up. "Are you the Skychanger today?"

"Yeah," said the skitty, who was named Skitty.

During their introduction nearly two weeks ago, Scull had said, "Yes, that's really her name."

Oliver had been baffled. "But…why?"

"She thinks it's funny," Kick had said, rolling his eyes.

"It _is_ funny," Skitty had insisted.

In the days that followed their meeting, Oliver had learned that Skitty was willing to do pretty much anything for a quick laugh. She reminded him of his brother, Flame, though Skitty was much older and her jokes were never cruel. Flame, on the other hand, seemed to hurt someone's feelings every time he opened his mouth. Oliver believed that his brother genuinely never meant to be mean, but somehow that only made his quips cut even deeper. He had decided a long time ago that he did not like Flame.

"Wanna come to the control room with me?" Skitty asked, bringing Oliver out of his thoughts and back into the present. "We can watch the sunrise together."

"Okay." Oliver loved to watch sunrises. Back in Box Four, they never occurred, since the Box was so large that it was unreasonable to expect a Skychanger to travel to the control room more than twice each day. Box Two, however, was small enough that the sky could be changed much more frequently.

It took Skitty and Oliver about a minute to walk to the control room. In that time, Skitty managed to get halfway through a fairly one-sided conversation about contests and ribbons. Oliver nodded every few seconds to show that he was listening.

"And the pink ones are so _cute_ ," she said, very quickly, as they stepped into the room, "but the blue ones are cute too and I don't know which one I want more or if I'll even ever get one."

She said more after that, but Oliver had stopped paying attention by then. He followed her over to the panel on the back wall and watched as she started to press buttons. Thankfully, she stopped rambling as she worked, so Oliver got to enjoy some silence. He liked silence. It meant that you got to be near a friend, but you didn't actually have to speak or listen. It was sort of like a compromise between loneliness and companionship.

The silence didn't last long, though. As soon as she was finished, Skitty said, "Come on, let's get out there and watch."

Oliver nodded, then followed her back out of the control room. He stepped out onto the sidewalk and looked up. The sky was already changing. Before, it had been black, but now it was starting to grow brighter. He knew that the sun was starting to creep up over the horizon, though he couldn't see it due to the city skyline. Colors began to change. Light bright shades of pink and blue and orange mixed together to paint the false sky of Box Two.

Oliver, as always, watched the spectacle in complete awe. He barely heard Skitty when she said, "Neat, huh?" Then she said, "You guys really don't have 'em in Box Four?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Huh. Well, I'm gonna go wake the team. Get yourself ready, Olly. It'll be a long day of training."

Oliver didn't watch her as she went. The sky was too pretty and alluring to look away from. It would stay like this for another thirty minutes or so, and then someone would come by again and shift the sun up a bit.

Some time later, he heard footsteps approaching. For one short moment, Oliver panicked, thinking that it must be Stan's gang. _No_ , Oliver told himself, _that's stupid,_ _it can't be them._ And sure enough, when he tore his gaze away from the sky, he saw that it was only Scull and the others.

"Morning, Olly," Scull said, and yawned. Skitty was with him, and so were Kick and the growlithe named Rush.

"Come and get some breakfast with us," said Kick. He shook a small bag that he held in his left hand, and Oliver heard its contents jingle.

Oliver nodded and joined the group. It took them a few minutes for them to walk down the sidewalk to the stores. The restaurants that had been built here were very strange. They had no doors, only dark windows and walls. Nobody seemed to work there to prepare or deliver the food. It was all done automatically. You just had to walk up to a panel on the wall, slide a few coins into a slot, and wait a few seconds for the food to come out of a bigger opening.

"Who makes the food?" Oliver asked.

"Dunno," Kick said as he pushed the coins into the slot. He had gotten the coins from the trainer, who sometimes gave them out to the team as a reward after a long day of training. There were a few places in Box Two where pokémon could spend coins. Oliver supposed that the money went to whoever had made the PC.

Kick pulled the food out of the opening and doled it out to everyone. It was human food: eggs, sausages, and potatoes. All of the items were spiced and pleasantly warm. Oliver wasn't hungry, because he was in the PC, but the food tasted so good that he devoured it all quickly. He had eaten more in these past two weeks than he had in the rest of his three-month-long life.

By the time he was done, the others hadn't even gotten halfway through their meals. They sat and joked as they ate, and that slowed them down. Oliver mostly just listened. When it was just him and Scull, he didn't mind talking, but with such a large group he was too intimidated to say more than a few words at a time.

After everyone was done with their breakfast, they made their way over to the control room. Scull pressed the button that let them out into their trainer's bedroom. The flash of light woke the human girl. Sometimes when the team came out, ready to train, she would get up and lead them outside to start the session. But today she just rolled over in her bed and went back to sleep. They would be on their own today, it seemed.

Oliver followed Scull and the other three over to the kitchen, where they left through the backdoor.

"Where will we go today?" Rush asked, looking to Scull.

Scull considered the question as they gathered onto the patio. "We could always go back to the forest," he said.

"We were just there!" Skitty said. "Man, Scull, I'm gettin' tired of that place. Can't you pick somewhere else?"

They _had_ been going to the forest a lot. It was a good training spot, but it had some disadvantages, too. For one thing, it was very far away. It took more than an hour to walk that far, and Oliver was not eager to get caught in another storm so far from the PC.

Kick and Rush sided with Skitty, so Scull tried to think of somewhere else. "I guess we could go to town. There are always wild pokémon in the alleyways."

It seemed to Oliver that the trip there would be even longer than the trip to the forest, but everyone else loved the idea, and Oliver didn't want to look rude by disagreeing, so he kept his mouth shut. Kick quickly gathered a bag of supplies, and then they were off.

Much later, after hours of walking and idle talking, the five pokémon came to the city. Downtown Jubilife looked quite a lot like Box Two, except it stretched on for miles and miles. There were all sorts of stores and restaurants. Despite the fact that it was a working day for humans, and despite the fact that it wasn't quite noon, the streets were filled with cars and the sidewalks bustled with people and pokémon. Oliver and his friends avoided the busier sections of the city, preferring to keep to alleyways and abandoned corners whenever possible. Most of the humans left them alone, but one little girl stopped and stooped down to pet Skitty, who began to brag as the group stepped down another alley.

"Heh, I don't see any of _you_ guys getting attention from the humans."

"Hush," Kick told her. "You'll scare away whatever's down here."

There _was_ something down here. Oliver could smell it. And it smelled strangely familiar.

Scull smelled it as well. He gestured for the rest of them to stay put, and he crept down to peer into the shadows further down the narrow path. When he came back, he confirmed what Oliver already knew: there was a wild pokémon down there.

"Can we goad it into a fight?" Rush the growlithe whispered. "It could be good practice."

"Goading won't be necessary," Scull said. "It has nowhere to run off to. I checked."

The five of them walked silently down the alleyway until they saw the pokémon. A poochyena was sleeping against the wall that ended the alley. It was not Caro, obviously, but Oliver's mind instantly went there.

"It's old," Rush observed.

It wasn't _really_ old, Oliver knew, but it certainly seemed old to them, a group of children. Skitty was the oldest of the five, and she was a year shy of adulthood.

"You three stay back," Scull said. "Cut off any possible escape routes it might try to take. Olly, you come with me."

The two of them stepped forward until they were only a few yards away from the sleeping poochyena. Only then did it wake up. As soon as it saw that it was cornered, it scrambled to its feet and tried to back away, but found the brick wall at its back. It didn't say anything, but it bared its teeth and glared. Oliver could tell that it was male from the deepness of its growl.

"Go fight it, Olly," Scull said. "Show off those moves I taught you."

Scull _had_ taught Oliver a lot of moves over the past two weeks. He had learned how to use his claws and teeth to cause pain, and how to dodge attacks to avoid pain. The poochyena did not look nearly as strong as some of the enemies that Oliver had fought back in the forest, and he knew that he could probably beat it pretty easily. But when he looked into its red eyes, Oliver could not help but remember Caro…and suddenly he had an idea.

"Use an elemental attack on it," Oliver said. "You promised you'd show me one soon."

Scull looked uncertain. "I figured you'd want the practice…"

"We'll run into plenty of enemies today," Oliver said. "I just want you to show me this once."

"Go on, Scull," Skitty called out. "Show Olly why the girls fall all over themselves for you."

"Oh, all right." Scull stepped forward and faced the poochyena down. It had been listening in on the conversation, and it seemed nervous now.

"Pay attention, Olly," Scull said. "This move is called Dark Pulse."

Scull never even moved. His body started to put off a dark purple glow. The poochyena tried and failed to back away. Then a wave of dark energy exploded out of the houndour's body and shot straight at his opponent. It slammed hard into the poochyena, throwing it backward and slamming it into the wall. It slid down to the ground, unconscious.

"Man, Scull," said Skitty. "You weren't supposed to kill the poor guy."

Scull looked a little embarrassed. "He's not dead. I didn't hit him very hard, I just didn't think about the wall. I only wanted to weaken him a bit. Sorry, Olly. I was gonna let you finish him."

"That's okay," Oliver said, staring intently at the fallen poochyena. He hadn't been expecting to have to finish it off anyway. Actually, he hadn't even been expecting the poochyena to _live_. He had always heard that elemental attacks were extremely powerful. He had been expecting, maybe even hoping, that the result would be a bit…messier. But the poochyena was fully intact, and had likely suffered no injuries aside from a few bad bruises. _Maybe if Scull had used a fire elemental attack_ , Oliver thought.

Skitty teased Scull a bit more about the poochyena, and then the five pokémon moved on to a new alleyway, and when they saw that it was empty they found another, and then another, and then another. They explored for most of the day, and by the time the sun was about to set they had encountered and beaten at least twenty wild pokémon.

"It's getting late," Scull said. "We should head back." Nobody argued.

On the long way home, Kick produced five apples from his bag of supplies, and for a while they were all quiet as they ate. It ended up being Skitty who broke the silence, of course, and then all of them were talking again. Well, all of them except Oliver, but that was okay.

The sky was very dark by the time they got back to the house. Their trainer greeted them with a few pets each when they stepped inside.

"I'm getting to bed early," Rush announced a few minutes later. "It's been a long day."

"Will we train tomorrow?" Kick asked Scull.

"I think we'd better," Scull answered. "We have a gym fight coming up, you know."

Skitty groaned. "When are you gonna give us a day off, huh?"

"We can take as many breaks as we want when we're in Sinnoh's Hall of Fame. Come on, Rush has the right idea. Let's all get to bed."

Fifteen minutes later, Oliver was back in Box Two, back in the red hotel, back in Scull's bedroom. Scull was already lying in bed. As Oliver jumped up next to him, the houndour said, "You know I never told them, right?"

"Told them what?"

"About your brother. The mean one."

"Stan."

"Right."

"Why haven't you?" said Oliver.

"Well, I didn't think you'd want me to," Scull said. "I thought you'd want to tell them yourself. Y'know, if you want them to know at all."

"Oh." Oliver didn't really know if he _did_ want the others to know. He knew how angry Stan would be if he found out that he had even told just Scull. "I don't think I mind them knowing. Now that I'm here in Box Two, Stan can't hurt me."

Scull began to look uncomfortable. "Well, that's another thing…"

"What?"

"I've been making excuses for you, Olly, but you know you're not supposed to be living here. Everyone knows you're not really on the trainer's battling team. And your mother must be wondering where you are by now, even if you don't think she cares about you. I think it's time you returned to Box Four for a while. You can stay here tonight, but you should go back tomorrow."

Scull may as well have dumped a bucket of ice water on Oliver. "I can't," he said. No, now that he was here in Box Two, he was safe, he was _safe_. He had never gone this long without a beating. If he stepped foot in Box Four again, Stan and Caro and Split would be on him in a heartbeat. "I can't go back there," he told Scull, trying and failing to sound calm.

"It will only be the nights," Scull assured him. "You can still come and train with us during the day. I'll show you how to move quietly through the darkness. Nobody will even know you're there. Just go see your mother every morning, and then slip out before your bullies even wake up."

Oliver felt himself settle down a little. "You promise I won't get hurt?"

"I promise."

Only then did Oliver nod. He forced himself to stop shaking, and he burrowed his face into the houndour's black fur.

"You're my friend, aren't you, Scull?"

Scull smiled down at him. "Yes, Olly, I guess I am."

"Then call me Oliver. I hate being called Olly."

Scull laughed. "All right. Oliver."


	12. Jay 4

**Jay**

Resin lapped at his coffee. As always, the mug held down the big red button that meant death. Jay had spent almost four full days assisting the vaporeon in the Dark Cells, but that still made him nervous. From his stool, he stared down at his own panel, which mirrored Resin's. Sometimes the vaporeon would tell Jay to lean forward and press a button or turn a switch. Jay always obeyed, of course, but every time he did he felt a terrible, piercing fear that his paw would slip and he would wind up accidentally slamming it right into that red button, right into his death.

"That's not gonna happen," Resin said when Jay told him of his fear. "That old absol's been sending kits in here for months. Every single one's been afraid of that button, but none have ever pressed it. It's out of the way. See? The humans made sure we can't activate the emergency release by mistake."

That was true, at least. The button was at the very back of the panel. It would have been hard to hit it even if Jay wanted to. Still, irrational or not, his fear remained.

"What do you mean other kits have been coming for months?" Jay asked, eager to change the subject. "Our training only just started." Three nights ago, when Doki brought him above ground to tell the High Warden the truth about his age, Jay had learned that the kits were being sent to the Wardens to learn the secrets of the Wards. The High Warden had explained that whoever became his apprentice would need to be familiar with every part of the Lab. Jay suspected that the Wardens had also been instructed to evaluate the kits as they learned.

"What?" Resin said. "You think you're the first batch to be tested?" He shook his head, making his yellow straw hat shift a bit. "Nah, kid. You're part of the fifth or sixth group that's been tested. The High Warden didn't end up liking any of the others."

"He likes me," Jay said, a little boldly.

"So I've heard." Resin flashed him a knowing smile. "Wardens talk, y'know. I shouldn't be telling you this, but the old sack of fur asked us all to pay special attention to you."

Jay felt his heart leap in his chest. "Really?"

"Yep." Resin drank from his mug. When he was done, he said, "Could just be 'cause you're older than the others, though. Maybe he wants us to hold you to a higher standard. I dunno."

 _Right,_ Jay thought. That was probably it. Or was it?

"Don't look so down, kid," Resin said. "You've got the best chances I've ever seen"

Jay looked up. "You think so?"

"Like I said, Wardens talk. I hear things, kid. The humans like the idea of having a High Warden that can talk to them directly."

Jay let Resin's words bounce around in his head. _The humans are backing me?_ He didn't even know if his Halfmen training would continue yet. But if he _did_ get to keep going, then things were looking very good for him. _Only if the serum doesn't kill you_ , said a nagging voice in his head. _Shut up_ , he told it. _I'm not going to die._

"I _will_ be a Halfman," he said, more to himself than Resin. "I _will_ be the High Warden's apprentice. And when I take over, I'm gonna make all my brothers Wardens, or maybe I'll let them leave if they want to. And I'm gonna evolve, too." He imagined himself as a big and powerful pokémon, able to make others cower with a glance. Thinking about that made him smile.

But Resin just laughed. "Kid, how much power do you think Wardens have?"

"I'll have lots of power," Jay said defiantly. "Why wouldn't I? I'll be the most powerful pokémon in the whole Lab."

"You will be," Resin agreed. "Assuming the High Warden _does_ end up picking you."

"Then what's the problem? I figured I'd get to choose the Wardens."

"You'll get to _suggest_ Wardens," Resin told him. "But it's the humans who wind up making decisions like that. Oh, they'll let you play around with our lives. They'll let you make a few policies so you feel all special. If you want, they'll even let you kill a few of us…as long as they don't need us anymore. You think we're strong, kid? You think we can do _anything_ without the approval of a human?"

Jay was taken aback by this sudden hostility. Resin had never been anything but friendly. Suddenly he felt a lot less confident. "I'll at least be able to evolve, though. Into anything I want."

"Think so?" said Resin. There was a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"Why shouldn't I be allowed to? Most of the Wardens I've seen have evolved. Like you. You're a vaporeon."

Resin smiled darkly. "Yes. A vaporeon. Too bad I wanted to be a leafeon."

Jay was stunned. "I'm sorry," he said, and meant it. Forcing an unwilling pokémon to evolve was unspeakably cruel. It was one of the most traumatic things you could go through. Just thinking about it made Jay shudder.

"You wanna know how it happened?" Resin said. He didn't wait for Jay to answer; he just kept talking. "I didn't start out in this branch. I got caught in Johto, and they sent me to the Lab over there. Eevee are good for experimenting on, y'know. Weren't too many of our kind over at that place, though, so those humans wanted to make the most of me.

"A new Ward opened right around the time I got there. It was only for water pokémon, though. I'm sure you can see where this is going."

Jay nodded, listening intently.

"Well, they evolved me, and started me off on the treatment. The stuff they gave me wasn't too different from that Halfman serum of yours. They told me it'd probably kill me. And let me tell you, kid, I believed 'em. For the next two weeks, I was stuck in this new, unfamiliar, awful body, and the whole time I was sure I was gonna keel over and die at any moment."

"You didn't die, though," Jay said. He wasn't sure why he said it. Maybe he thought it would make the vaporeon feel better, somehow.

"No," Resin said. "I didn't die. Neither did any of the other test subjects. Nothing happened to us at all. Our bodies didn't change. I dunno what the humans were trying to accomplish, but they failed." He shifted on his stool. "So the Ward got shut down. It was only open for those two weeks of testing."

"They evolved you for nothing," Jay realized.

"For the tiniest bit of information. Yes. After that, they decided they were done with me. So they shipped me off to Sinnoh, over to this Lab, and I spent the next two years of my life locked in the Cells, getting to know good old Terrin. Eventually they told me, out of nowhere, that I was being made a Warden. I was suspicious, and it turned out I was right to be, 'cause they wanted me as the Warden of the _Dark Cells_. I was the eighteenth pokémon to be granted that honor. The other seventeen are all dead. I don't know what makes me different from them, but I'm alive, and they're not."

Resin shifted on his stool. "You might think I'm a cynic, kid, but I have my reasons for being the way I am." He sent Jay a sharp look. "Don't ever trust a human. 'Cause even if you become one, you'll never really _be_ one of them. They'll make sure you won't."

Jay had grown speechless. He nodded.

"And don't go telling anyone about this little conversation. Could be dangerous, y'know?"

Jay nodded again. The vaporeon leaned forward and lapped at his coffee.

The room fell silent for a while, but eventually the two pokémon began talking again. Resin immediately returned to his usual amiable self. They spoke about cheerier topics then, and Resin gave no indication that he even remembered the talk about his past.

Half an hour or so later, the door opened and Doki stepped inside of the room.

Jay frowned. His shifts were supposed to last eight hours, but he couldn't have been here for more than four. He was about to ask why she had come so early when another pokémon came through the doorway.

"Hello, Jay," Bald greeted. "Hello, Resin."

"Come to take my buddy?" Resin said. "It's not even noon. I'm scheduled to have him till the evening."

Bald smiled regretfully. "He's needed in the Ward of the Halfmen."

Resin flicked an eye over at Jay, then quickly looked back at the furless eevee. "The High Warden wants him here."

Bald said, "I do not answer to the High Warden. The humans sent me. Come, Jay."

Jay hopped down from the stool, landing lightly on the hard metal floor. _Resin wanted me to hear that_ , he thought. He was sure of it. Why, though? Jay made a mental note to ask the vaporeon the next time they saw each other alone.

He followed Doki and Bald out of the Dark Cell, and they started to walk down the hallway, away from Resin and the Darkrai. The halls were as dark and white as they always were.

"Are you hungry?" Doki asked Jay.

"A little, I guess."

"We'll stop by the cafeteria," Bald said. "This may be your last chance to eat for a while."

That made Jay feel uneasy. "Why?"

"The humans want to test your knowledge of their language. If they decide that you're sufficient, you'll continue your training."

The walk to the cafeteria was long and tiring. Bald was mostly silent as Jay and Doki talked. Jay had started to join Doki on her nightly patrolling shifts, and he had gotten a lot more comfortable speaking with her. The High Warden had only grudgingly allowed him to accompany her.

"He's older than the kits, so he doesn't need as much sleep as them anyway," Doki had reasoned when she asked the old absol for his permission on the matter. She had asked him shortly before Jay returned below ground on that night she had taken him to the High Warden's chambers.

The High Warden had eyed Jay and said, "Very well. But your friendship with the boy must be forgotten during his training sessions, and during our meetings. I will not tolerate bias from my judges."

That was when Jay had learned why Doki and Terrin were with the absol so often. They were helping him decide who his apprentice would be. Jay was glad to have Doki on his side, because Terrin definitely wasn't.

Ever since that night, Doki had been treating Jay differently. She had always been kind, but before there had also been a certain amount of authority in her voice. It was almost like being spoken to by Mother. But now that parental tone was gone, and Jay knew that she was speaking to him as a friend rather than a superior. Was that because she now knew that they were almost the same age? Or because she had grown to respect him after hearing that he had learned some of the human language? Or maybe it was just because she liked him? Jay didn't know, and it would have been weird to ask. He suspected that she didn't even realize that their relationship had changed.

Finally, they came to the cafeteria. It was that awkward period between breakfast-time and lunch-time, so there weren't many pokémon inside. The brown mush that filled the tables looked cold and stale. The dishes had obviously not been refilled for more than an hour.

At one of the far tables, Jay saw a pair of pokémon he knew.

"Come sit with us, Jay," called Dane the servine. "We could use some company." Beside him, Char waved at Jay. The other four members of their team were nowhere to be seen. That was good. Jay was not eager to see Red after what happened in the sparring room four days ago.

 _They're using you, beast_ , Terrin's voice rang in Jay's mind, but he ignored the thought. Why should he listen to Terrin? Terrin hated him, and Dane liked him. So he walked over and sat down on the bench opposite the two Rangers. Doki and Bald followed him and sat down beside him.

"Wasn't expecting to see you here," Dane said. "Hardly anyone comes in this early. Or should I say this _late?_ " He shrugged and poked at the brown meal. "I don't know if this is breakfast or lunch. Food's the same all the time."

Char looked to Bald and said, "You Halfmen are lucky. I'd kill to eat human food."

 _Using you, beast_. Suddenly Jay was not sure if Char was joking. Maybe he _would_ kill for better food. _Maybe he already has_ , he thought.

"I've earned my luck," Bald said. "And we really don't have time to sit here and chat. Eat your food, Jay. The humans are waiting on you."

"We'll stay quiet, then," Dane said politely. "Go on and eat, Jay. We won't distract you." The servine went back to talking to Char.

It didn't take long for Jay to eat his fill. He was growing nervous, and most of his appetite had disappeared. When he was finished, he said a quick goodbye to the Rangers. Then he, Bald, and Doki left.

"We don't need a Steward anymore," Bald said to Doki as they started back down the hallway. "I know the way from here, and the Watchers know better than to stop me."

"The High Warden said I could come," Doki said. "I thought Jay could use some support when they put that serum in him." She smiled over at Jay, and he smiled back. He felt better now.

Bald was not smiling. "I suppose you can come. The humans may not be happy about it, though."

"They're never happy," Doki said.

Bald didn't reply. He led the group on yet another long walk. Some time later, they came to the Ward of the Halfmen. Jay's legs and paws were very sore by then, but he didn't complain. He had only been here that one time, but he recognized certain parts of the Ward.

They finally reached the door to the testing room. Bald transformed into his human state and pushed the door open. The same four humans from last time were inside. Bald's green bathrobe was hanging off of a hook on the wall by the door. He grabbed it and put it on, then he spoke to the human woman who seemed to be in charge.

Jay and Doki stood around awkwardly for almost fifteen minutes as the conversation between the humans went on and on.

"Those other kits aren't here," Jay whispered at one point.

"What other kits?" Doki said.

"Terrin brought nine of us here on the first day. All of us got injected with the serum. I thought they'd be here, but they're not."

"Maybe they're getting brought in separately from you," Doki suggested. She didn't sound very sure, though.

Jay didn't press the issue any further. He decided that he didn't want to know what had happened to them. It was too late to turn back now anyway.

Bald eventually finished talking to the woman. He disrobed and turned back into the pink thing.

"They're going to test you now," he said.

Jay nodded. His nervousness seemed to grow tenfold.

Bald led him over to the humans. The woman picked him up and put him on the same table that he had been given his shot on. She placed Bald on the table as well.

"I will act as a translator," he told Jay. Then he said a few human words to the woman.

"Why do you ever turn into a human if you can speak with them when you're an eevee?" Jay asked. He had been wondering for a while.

"My body, as it is now, is not suited for speaking the human language. I _can_ speak it, if I must, but it's very uncomfortable to contort my tongue and mouth in the right ways. My words are understandable, but slurred. I wouldn't be able to hold a long conversation like this. Understand?"

"I think so."

"The humans are growing impatient," Bald told him. "Keep any other questions to yourself until we're finished. You'll learn about the biology of Halfmen later. Assuming you pass this test, that is."

"All right," Jay said. "Sorry."

Bald said a few more words to the humans. "Are you ready?" he asked Jay.

"I guess I am."

Bald gestured toward one of the human men, who held up a piece of paper. It had a symbol on it. One of the human letters. A vertical line ran down the middle of the paper, and a horizontal line intersected it at the top.

"Do you know what that letter is?" Bald asked.

"That's T." Jay knew that he was right. He remembered Night's lessons back in Box Four. He had only really been meaning to teach Sky, but Jay had learned as well.

Bald nodded. "Good." He said something to the humans, and they all suddenly seemed to grow more interested.

"What did you tell them?" Jay asked.

"That you were correct."

"I only got one answer right," Jay said, confused. "Why would that excite them?"

"You know a human letter. That's more than most pokémon can say." Then Bald gestured for the man to hold up the next piece of paper. It held another letter.

Jay answered twenty-five more questions, and got twenty-three correct. The only letters he couldn't identify were Q and X. When they got through all of the letters, the humans huddled together and began to converse.

"Did I do well?" Jay asked.

"Well enough, I suppose." Bald studied Jay. "I see that you exaggerated your knowledge, however. If you knew the human language well, you wouldn't have missed any letters at all."

"I only missed two!"

"That's two more than you should have missed." Bald sighed. "The humans seem too excited to care, though."

Jay saw that it was true. All four of the humans were smiling as they talked, and sometimes they glanced over at him.

"Do you think I'll get to keep being a Halfman?" Jay said.

"They're not done testing you yet. But at this point, I doubt they'll turn you away. Even if you'll never be completely fluent, they can probably use you in some way."

 _If I survive the serum_ , Jay thought. It was a dark thought, and it came to him without warning. He told himself that there was no reason that he shouldn't survive. The first dose hadn't been an issue, had it? _That was a tiny dose, though, one for babies._ But from the way Bald was speaking, it sounded like he wasn't even considering the possibility that Jay would die. Was he just being optimistic, or did he truly believe that Jay was different from those kits?

A few minutes later, the second round of testing began. The man held up more pieces of paper, and this time they showed several letters at once. _Words_ , Jay knew. The humans must have showed him close to a thousand, but he was only able to recognize one in twenty. Still, he _did_ get some of them. Yes; no; stop; food; water; and; or; tree; grass. A few others, too.

When he had finally seen the last of the words, the humans looked satisfied. They didn't seem to care that he hadn't been able to answer most of the questions. The human woman put him back on the floor, and Bald leapt down on his own.

Doki had been sitting against a wall, watching. "Did he pass?" she asked.

"I haven't asked yet," Bald said. "But I'd be very surprised if he didn't."

And sure enough, ten minutes later, Bald delivered the news that Jay was to continue being a Halfman.

"That's great!" Doki said, grinning. Like Bald, she didn't seem concerned about the danger.

"Will they give me the serum now?" Jay asked.

''Yes," Bald said simply.

The human woman came by with the syringe. Like last time, it was filled with a swirling white liquid.

Bald said, "I can tell them not to restrain you if you promise not to resist."

"I promise."

The humans let him stay on the floor, and nobody came to hold him down. The human woman bent down, rolled him over, and stuck the needle into the same vein that she had last time. It only a hurt a little bit.

"It didn't feel like they put much of it in me," Jay said once it was done.

"They've never worked with a runt before," Bald said. "At least, not with a runt as old as you. They're not sure exactly how much to inject you with. They'll give you a little more every week, and see how the different doses affect you."

"How much did they give me this time?"

"Not much more than they did last week. They want to be careful with you. It seems that they've taken a special interest in you, Jay."

It seemed to Jay that everyone in the Lab had taken a special interest in him. Well, he wasn't about to complain.

"You'll probably be sick tonight," Bald said. "You'll stay in a room just down the hall so that they can keep an eye on you. That's where all of the Halfmen-in-training are supposed to sleep, actually, but the High Warden stole you from us before we could put you there." He looked to Doki. "Will you take him? I'm going to be quite busy this afternoon, and I'd rather not waste any more time here."

Doki nodded, and Bald turned away from them, said a few more words to the humans, and then departed.

"We should go too," Doki said.

Jay knew that she was right. The humans were paying no attention to them at all. It would probably be best if the two eevee weren't around to get in the way.

They exited the testing room and traveled about fifty feet down the hallway to another door. Doki put her paw on the door as if to open it, but then she hesitated.

"You feeling alright?" she asked.

"I don't feel bad yet," Jay said. "You heard him, didn't you? They didn't give me too big of a dose."

"It was a bigger dose than last week, though," Doki said. "And he said you'd get sick tonight."

"He said I'd _probably_ get sick tonight. I'm strong, though, so I don't think I will."

Doki smiled at that. Her paw was still on the door. "Well, do you want to go eat before we head in? A lot of pokémon can't eat for days after the humans put the serum in them. Don't you want one last meal, in case that happens to you?"

 _She's stalling_ , Jay realized. Suddenly he was very curious about this room. What did Doki not want to show him?

"No," he said. "I'm not hungry."

Doki looked at him for a moment, sighed, and pushed open the door. Jay followed her into the room. Inside, he found a terrible sight. It was, in fact, the worst thing that he had ever seen. It was worse than the Darkrai, worse than watching Short stomp on some kit's neck, worse than seeing those other eight kits fall around him and twitch in pain.

Inside, he found the Halfmen.

The room was large and spacious, and it felt a little bit like a cave. The walls seemed to be made of concrete or something similar. The floor was stained with blood and vomit and urine, and the stench was overpowering. Of the thirty kits that filled the room, twenty or so were rolling around in the filth, their faces contorted in agony. Their flesh was torn and bleeding where they had accidentally clawed themselves as they lashed out, trying to attack some invisible enemy. The kits who did not show any sign of pain watched the others with hollow eyes. Only a few of them looked up when the door opened.

When he saw the scene before him, Jay took a reflexive step backward. Doki looked back at him, and he could see that she was as terrified as he was. There was also a certain amount of recognition in her eyes, though. _This isn't her first time here._

Jay steeled himself, and walked further into the room. He avoided making eye contact with any of the kits.

"That's not gonna happen to me," he said, gesturing, but not looking, at one of the writhing kits.

"I know," Doki said. "You're strong, remember?"

"Yeah," he said. He didn't feel strong anymore, though. "How long do I have to stay here?"

"Just tonight. I'm sure they'll let the High Warden take you back tomorrow."

Jay nodded. "I can handle one night here." He wasn't sure if that was true, but he would at least _try_. Besides, it wasn't like he could just get up and walk out. A Watcher would probably find him if he did. He wasn't actually sure what a Watcher was. He had asked Doki, Resin, and Dane, but nobody would tell him. It was, apparently, a really big secret. _Maybe I'll learn when I'm the High Warden._

They walked over to the far left corner of the room, which was unoccupied.

"You can go now," Jay said to Doki. "I can tell you don't like it here."

"And I can tell that _you_ don't like it here," Doki said. "I'm not going anywhere. You need some company." She looked around the room. "Some _sane_ company, I mean."

Jay looked at her and frowned. "Don't you have things to do? The High Warden won't get mad?"

"He said I could stay with you."

"The whole night?"

"If you want."

Jay found himself smiling. "Thanks, Doki," he said, and leaned into her side.

They didn't talk much after that. It seemed like it would be rude to make too much noise in this place. Hours passed with nothing to listen to but the pained moans of tortured kits. He and Doki just sat there, but that was okay; her presence alone made Jay feel safer. After a while she lifted her paw and started to scratch behind his ears in a way that was almost, but not quite, motherly. It felt good, and eventually it made him start to feel drowsy. He knew that it wasn't even close to nighttime yet, but he was suddenly very tired. As he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, he thought, _Didn't I see Night and Sky cuddling like this, once?_

He started to dream.

It was a very strange dream, though. As soon as the images began to take shape around him, he knew that they were not real. _I'm asleep_ , Jay thought. _I'm asleep and I'm dreaming._ It wasn't a quick, fleeting thought, but something that he was very aware of. It was as though consciousness had not truly left him at all. His thoughts were as rational as they were in the real world.

Colors swirled and changed, and now he was back in the clearing in the Unnamed Forest. He saw the lone oak tree in the center of the field of grass. It looked exactly like it had on the day that the twins had been captured. Jay frowned. In his dreams, he never imagined things exactly as they were.

"Jay!" a voice cried out.

Jay knew who the voice belonged to before he turned around to see. Blizz was there, twenty feet away, standing in front of the tree line. Night, Sky, Flame, and Bolt were all behind him. All five of Jay's brothers were smiling amiably.

"Come on, Jay!" Blizz yelled. "Let's go play!"

He hadn't seen his brothers in a week, and it was very tempting to sprint over to them as quickly as he could. It was only a dream, though, so he didn't. He just started to walk over at a normal pace. He could feel the grass beneath his feet. Why could he _feel_ things?

Bolt noticed Jay's confusion. "What's wrong, Jay? Come on, hurry up! We can't go play without you!"

Jay stopped. _It's just a dream,_ he told himself. If that was true, then there was no reason not to say whatever he wanted to. In dreams, there were no consequences, right?

"Why should I come?" Jay said.

"Don't you want to see us?" Blizz said.

"We all want to see you," said Night. "It's been so long since we got to see each other. We want to go play. Aren't you coming?"

Jay hesitated, then walked over to them. When he was only a few feet away, he said, "It's not like it matters. None of you are real. This is just a dream."

"A dream?" Blizz said, and laughed. "You're not dreaming, Jay. You're home. We're all home. Won't you play with us?"

"It _is_ a dream," Jay insisted. "The humans just gave me some Halfman serum and sent me over this room and then I fell asleep next to Doki. Maybe this dream is so weird because of the serum. Maybe I-"

Blizz suddenly collapsed. His eyes remained open, but his limbs went out from under him and his mouth slacked open. It was as though some puppeteer had been controlling him, but now he had let go of the strings. The other four fell as well. Jay backed away, frightened.

"You know," said a deep, dark, smooth voice, "I think that spending so long with that vaporeon has really crippled me."

"What?" Jay blinked, and when he opened his eyes the bodies of his brothers were gone. A Darkrai was floating over the ground that they had been standing on. Its eyes were a bright, brilliant blue.

"Yes," said the Darkrai, "it's been a long time since I entered someone else's dreams. Everyone dreams differently, child. Once, I was a master of sneaking into a sleeping mind undetected. If not for my long imprisonment, you never would have realized that you were dreaming. Forgive me. There were so many things I wanted to show you."

Jay continued to back away, but the Darkrai never grew any quieter. Its voice seemed to be coming from inside of Jay's head. He tried to force himself to wake up but found that he couldn't.

"What things?" Jay said. He remembered what Resin had told him about the Darkrai.

"Oh, all sorts of things. Your home burning. Your brothers dying. _You_ dying." The Darkrai started to float toward Jay. "But don't worry, child. I can still you show you these things. It just won't be a surprise anymore."

Jay turned and ran. He headed for the tree line, panicking hard.

The Darkrai laughed. "Yes, child, run. Maybe you can get away." Again, the voice seemed eerily close.

Jay reached the trees and started to dart through the forest. _It's only a dream_ , he tried to tell himself. _He can't really hurt me._

"Can't I?" came the Darkrai's voice. "Let's find out, child."

The sky had been a light blue only a moment ago, but now it was black. The trees began to burn, though nothing seemed to have started the fire. Jay leapt around the fires. He could feel the heavy warmth of the flames, and he could smell smoke. _Why are you doing this?_ Jay thought wildly at the Darkrai. _I never did anything to you. Leave me alone! Get out of my head!_

"And if I don't, what will you do?" Somehow Jay knew that the Darkrai was getting closer. "You are all the same. I _hear_ things in that cell, child, and I hear things in Resin's dreams. I know that he considers you a friend. I know that the High Warden thinks fondly of you. I know what he plans for you. Why should I show you any mercy? It might as well have been you who brought me here."

Jay was too busy running to try to argue with the Darkrai. He could feel the heat more strongly now. _I need to get out of this forest_ , he knew. As soon as he thought that, he saw the tree line up ahead. He didn't trust that exit, but what choice did he have? He ran toward it and escaped into the cool night air.

The Darkrai was already there.

Jay had nowhere to run. The fire was at his back and sides, and the Darkrai blocked the way ahead.

"Now," said the Darkrai, "tell me, Jay. Which of your brothers do you want to watch burn first?" It reached out and touched Jay.

Its hand recoiled as soon as it brushed Jay's fur. It was as though the Darkrai had touched something unexpectedly hot.

The fire suddenly died out, and the sky was light again. The Darkrai's eyes no longer contained any hatred. Jay saw only incredulity there.

"You…" it said.

Jay was more frightened now than he had ever been in his life, but he was confused and curious as well. "W-what?"

"You are one of the Eight." It gave him one last stupefied look, and then the Darkrai disappeared.

In the real world, Jay opened his eyes. He immediately turned his head to the side and vomited.

Doki had fallen asleep next to him, but she woke up when she heard him retching. "What's wrong?" she asked drowsily.

"The serum made me sick," Jay said weakly, refusing to mention his dream.

It wasn't until ten minutes later that he realized that it was true. At first he thought that it had just been the nightmare that made him throw up, but then his stomach began to hurt very badly. He felt sore all over. It wasn't _that_ bad, though. He certainly had it better than those kits who were still shaking and shivering on the filthy floor.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Doki said quietly.

Jay shook his head. "Go back to sleep if you want. I'll wake you if I need you."

He vomited six more times before morning, making sure to do it well away from the corner where he and Doki stayed. He didn't even think about sleeping. Maybe that was because of the pain, or maybe it was because of the Darkrai.

 _You are one of the Eight._ Is that what it had said? What did that mean? Jay got the feeling that he wasn't going to figure it out on his own. If he wanted to know, then he would need to speak to the Darkrai again, and he wasn't too eager to do that.

Jay still had three more days in the Dark Cells. That's how long he had to interact with the Darkrai. Once those three days were up, there was no way of knowing how long it would be until he would see it again. _If I want to, I can say something to it when I go in to feed it._ But _did_ he want to? He would need to figure out the answer to that question soon.

He didn't decide that night, though. He was in no state of mind to think about such things that night.

The next morning, Bald opened the door to find Doki and Jay still huddled together in the corner. By then, most of the pain had left Jay's body. He wasn't really nauseous anymore, and the ache in his stomach had gone down to a dull throb.

"I'm feeling all right," Jay said when Bald asked how he was.

"I need to see something," Bald said. "I'm going to do something strange, but don't resist." Then he turned into a human, put a hand into Jay's mane, and pulled out a chunk of fur.

" _Ow!_ " Jay cried as Bald returned to his eevee form. "What was that for?"

Bald inspected the fur, which was now on the filthy floor. "I need to see if you're shedding yet. If you're shedding, that means the serum is working. It means we gave you the right dose. It's just a formality at this point, though. It'll probably be weeks before we find the proper dose for you. Maybe months." He counted the white hairs and frowned. He looked up at Jay and said, "You really weren't in much pain last night?"

Doki, who was just beginning to wake up, said, "I watched him for a few hours. I never saw any writhing or crying or screaming. Some vomiting, sure, but that was it."

"It didn't hurt too much. Why?" Jay asked, but he thought he already knew.

"You're shedding, Jay," Bald said. "You're shedding fast."


	13. Oliver 4

**Oliver**

Oliver leapt away from the ledian's punch and came back with an attack of his own. His claws moved so quickly that he could barely see them as they passed through the air. A red gash opened on the ledian's side. It hissed at the pain and staggered backward through the air. Oliver chased it.

The battle had been going on for a few minutes. The ledian had taken twice as many blows as it had given. One of its punches had been hard enough to leave a nasty bruise, but Oliver was otherwise fine. The ledian, on the other hand, was bleeding from half a dozen scratches.

Oliver jumped up and swiped at it again. The ledian flew out of reach and looked like it was going to launch a counter attack, but seemed to think better of it. It glared at Oliver, sent him one last hiss, flew to the treetops, and did not return.

"Not bad," Scull said. He, along with Kick, Rush, and Skitty, had been watching from the sidelines.

"I let it hit me," Oliver said. "I shouldn't have let it hit me." He was usually able to dodge attacks from wild pokémon. Maybe he had just been distracted by the prospect of returning to Box Four tonight. Maybe that was just an excuse, though.

Kick walked over to him and inspected his face, prodding at the area that had been punched. "Here," he said, and pulled a potion from his bag of supplies. Oliver had to close his eyes to avoid getting the medicine in them. As soon as the spray hit the bruise, it started to feel better.

"Don't worry about taking a couple of hits," Scull told him. " _Everyone_ gets hit sometimes. And everyone loses sometimes, too."

 _No, not me_ , Oliver thought, _I can't afford to lose. Stan will get me if I do._ He nodded like he understood, though.

They moved on to a different part of the forest to find more wild pokémon. Skitty fought the next one they found, a zigzagoon. She bit it so hard that it ran off crying. Rush got a turn to battle as well, and Scull and Kick ended up dueling two pokémon each. Nobody used any elemental attacks.

"The pokémon that live here might not be strong enough to survive them," Scull explained. "We don't want to hurt anyone. We're just practicing."

"And besides," Rush said, "all of the elemental attacks I know involve a lot of fire. I don't wanna burn this whole place down."

Oliver was a little disappointed that he didn't get to see any cool attacks like Dark Pulse, which Scull had shown him in the alley yesterday, but he didn't say so. Like always, he mostly stayed quiet and let the others talk.

They didn't ask him to fight any pokémon after they moved on from the ledian. Maybe they thought that he was too tired or too weak to battle as many foes as the others, but Oliver knew he wasn't. He had fought a total of three pokémon today, but he still felt fully energized. All of this training was making him stronger. Not strong enough to beat three pokémon at once, though.

"Should we be getting home?" Kick said, looking to Scull. "It's getting late."

Oliver only had to look up to see that Kick was right. Above the foliage, the sky was pink and orange.

"I guess we should," Scull said, and nobody questioned him.

Oliver's heart sank. He didn't want to go home. Home meant Stan.

The walk home was far too short. They had to make their way out of the forest and take the long sidewalk back to the house, but the trip seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Before Oliver knew it, they had come to the backyard fence. Skitty jumped over first, then Kick, then Rush. Scull smiled at Oliver, and then he went over too.

Now he was alone on the sidewalk. Well, not really; he could hear his friends' voices just beyond the fence, only a few feet away. But he felt alone.

 _I could run._ The thought came to him without warning. _I could run right now and by the time they realize I'm not coming with them I'll be long gone. I can live in the forest and I'll teach myself to hunt and stay safe and I'll never have to see Stan ever again._

He gazed longingly down the sidewalk.

"Oliver?" came Scull's slightly muffled voice. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah." Oliver leapt over the fence.

 **Split**

The day had been long and productive. They had spent more than an hour chasing Fred around Box Four, and in the end they had caught him. Stan hadn't been too rough with him, though. He never hurt any of the eevee too badly. Well, except Oliver. Everyone that Stan beat up was a freak, but Oliver was _way_ more of a freak than Fred. He was more of a freak than anyone Split had ever known. Stan told him so.

Stan was able to tell whether or not a pokémon was a freak just by looking at them for a few seconds. He was so _cool!_ For the tenth time today, Split thought, _I hope I'm as cool as him, someday_. He tried really hard to be. Whenever Stan did something, Split did his best to emulate it. Whenever Stan said something, Split made sure to verbalize his agreement. _It won't be long until I'm just like him._

Stan was the Skychanger this week, so they were headed to the control room. Lem wasn't with them. Mother had taken him as her new mate, and it seemed that his days of hanging out with Stan's gang were over. That was sad; Split liked him a lot. Lem rarely spoke, but he had seemed somehow vital to the group. Maybe that was just because Stan was so close with him.

 _Now it's just me, Stan, and Caro._ Split was not overly fond of the poochyena. Stan acted differently around him. When it was just Stan and Split, they didn't really go around hurting anyone. Sometimes, the two of them would go climb a hill and roll down it together. By the time they reached the bottom they were always out of breath and giggling. But when Caro was around, Stan became more violent and angry. Split wondered why that was. He supposed it didn't really matter.

"Let's watch the control room again tonight," Caro urged.

They had reached the control room. It was time to turn day into night.

"We did that yesterday," Stan said as they stepped inside. "And I only agreed to do it because you wouldn't shut up about it. You know my brother's staying in Box Two. He's been there for two weeks. Why would he come back tonight?" He started to press the buttons on the panel. Outside, colors began to shift.

"I don't know," Caro said. "He might, though."

Split looked back and forth between Stan and Caro. He didn't want to say anything until he was sure he knew what Stan wanted.

Stan paused his work for long enough to glare. "He won't."

"But what if he does?"

"Then so what? We don't get to beat him up for one night. Who cares? We already beat up Fred today."

"You didn't even let me hurt him," Caro said angrily.

"Maybe I would have if you weren't so stupid." Stan was finished with the buttons. The sun outside was fading, and the sky became dark. The room was lit by the flickering bulb in the ceiling. "You always go too far. You think I'm gonna let you near my brothers if you try to kill them or take their eyes?"

"That was just the freak," Caro said. "You should've let me have an eye. It would've done him good. You said yourself that those eyes are evil."

"You're not getting his eye." Stan's tone was enough to stop any objections from the poochyena. "You should be getting home anyway. It's late. Go back to Box Three."

"No," Caro said, "I want to be here when the freak comes."

Stan glared at him for a long time. Then he sighed. "Fine. We'll stay by the control room tonight, just in case. Stay if you want, I don't care. But if he doesn't come tonight, you have to promise to stop obsessing over him so much. All right?"

Caro seemed only somewhat satisfied. "All right."

Stan led them out of the control room. The night air, as always, was very comfortable.

"I guess we'll have a hunt, then," Stan said.

"Yeah," Split said, "I think that's a good idea, Stan."

 **Oliver**

Oliver and Scull stood in Box Two's control room. Skitty, Kick, and Rush were back in the red hotel, getting some sleep. The sky outside was black.

"You ready?" Scull asked. His face was full of genuine concern.

 _No_ , Oliver thought, but he said, "I guess."

Scull nodded. He stepped over and hit a button on the panel. The room disappeared in a flash of light.

Now they were in Box Four's control room. He hadn't noticed it before, but looking around, Oliver could see that it was way less fancy then Box Two's. This one was lit only by a single flickering bulb. The walls seemed dirtier, somehow.

"Remember," Scull said, "you only have to stay until morning. Tomorrow, say hello to your mother and then come over here and exit the PC. I'll be waiting for you in the trainer's bedroom."

"All right." Oliver stepped out of the control room. Scull did not follow him.

The houndour nodded his farewell, then returned to the panel. He left with another flash of light.

Oliver suddenly felt very nervous. _I could run_ , his mind shouted. _I could run away and they wouldn't even notice until morning._

He looked around, sighed, and then began to step across the grassy fields of Box Four.

It took him a while to figure out what he wanted to do. He thought about hiding in the Unnamed Forest, but that was too far away. Oliver didn't want to be out in the open for any longer than he had to. It was impossible to know where Stan was, but he had to be _somewhere_.

Eventually, he decided to sleep in a nearby tree. It was only a few hundred yards from the control room. _If I really need to get away, then I'll be able to._

The tree was not easy to climb. The branches were high and far apart, and the trunk was thick. In the end, though, he managed to get up it. He settled onto a fork fifteen feet above the ground. It wasn't particularly comfortable, but it seemed safe enough.

He would stay here until morning. No matter what happened, he wouldn't get out of this tree. When the sun rose, he would find Mother and then leave at once.

He shut his eyes and kept them closed for several minutes, but sleep wouldn't come. Eventually, Oliver sighed and decided that he wasn't going to be getting any rest tonight. The prospect of seeing Stan was too worrying.

His eyes opened and drifted upward to watch the sky. It was a bright, cloudless night, with a full moon and shining stars. Time lost meaning as he moved his gaze from one cluster of stars to another.

 _If I stay up, I should pay attention to the ground_ , Oliver thought after a while. _That way I'll know if someone sees me. I'll be able to run._

But looking down meant admitting that he was in danger, and he didn't know if he could handle that. It would be so much easier to keep looking at the stars…

 _You're being stupid_ , he told himself. _If Stan is out there, you need to know._

Oliver looked down.

He saw Stan. Stan saw him. His gang was walking toward his tree. They were less than a hundred feet away.

 _Run_ , Oliver thought, _I need to run._ But there was nowhere to go. Stan and Split and Caro were between the tree and the control room. Had they done that on purpose? They must have.

He stayed in his tree. Maybe if they couldn't reach him, they would leave him alone. _They won't. Stan will climb the tree and he'll push me down onto the ground and then they'll all be on me._

But what choice did he have? By the time he managed to climb down they'd be here anyway. He could at least buy himself some time if he was up here. _Scull promised I wouldn't get hurt_ , he thought. _Scull wouldn't lie to me._

He sat on his branch, leaned against the trunk, and waited.

"It's been a while, Oliver," Stan called when they came close enough to hear each other. "I thought you were staying with those freaks in Box Two. Did they get sick of you and kick you out?"

Split laughed, but Oliver did not respond. He stayed very still, trying to keep himself calm. How could he get himself out of this?

"I told you we'd find him," Caro said triumphantly. "I _told_ you."

Stan ignored the poochyena. "Get down from that tree, Oliver. We haven't seen you in weeks. We want to say hello."

They were very close now—almost to the trunk. Oliver could see the whites of Stan's eyes through the darkness of the night.

"I said, _get down from there_." Stan looked even angrier than he usually did. "If I have to come get you myself, it'll only be worse for you."

Oliver hadn't even intended to defy him. He was just panicking too hard to figure out what to do.

"No," Oliver called out, in a voice that was less defiant than he had intended. "I'm not coming down. Go away."

Stan growled, then began to climb the tree. In a single leap, he closed a third of the distance between them.

Oliver's head darted around, looking for a way to escape. Stan was below him, and the branches overhead were too thin to support his weight. The only way out was _out_.

He scrambled across the length of the branch. When he reached the end, he leapt. The wind rushed by his ears as he fell.

Oliver hit the ground so hard that his legs went out from under him and he ended up on his side. His breath was knocked out of him, but there was no time to worry about that. _Caro and Split are still on the ground_ , he realized, and that was the only motivation he needed to roll to his feet and start the short sprint to the control room.

Luckily, the others did not begin chasing him until Stan returned to the ground. He yelled at the other two, and then the three of them began to run after him. Oliver was still hurting from the fall, but he went as fast as he could.

He reached the door of the control room, scrambled inside, rushed over to the panel, and slammed his paw into a random button. The flash of light was blinding, and he closed his eyes.

The smell of salt filled the air. Oliver opened his eyes and realized that he was in Box Six. _They're still after me_ , he knew. He ran out of the control room and onto a sandy beach.

 _Why did that button have to bring me here?_ he thought desperately. Box Seven had the mists to hide in. Box Two had friends who would defend him. Box Six, though? This place was designed for pokémon who lived in water. There was a small island in the center of the Box and a ring of hard, rocky land surrounding the area, but aside from that the entire place was made up of saltwater.

 _This won't work_ , Oliver thought. _I need to go pick another Box to hide in_. But just as he was about to turn around and go back into the control room, there was another flash of light. Oliver didn't need to look to know that it was Stan. He put his head down and ran. A few seconds later, Stan's gang started chasing him again.

It didn't take long to reach the water. There wasn't much of a bank, so Oliver dove right in. The night had made the water cold, but Oliver barely noticed. Three other splashes rose up behind him. That made him start paddling.

He had always been a fairly good swimmer. Plenty of his afternoons had been spent over at Brown Lake, where he could hide and play by himself in the water. He wasn't playing now, though. Oliver thrashed through the water as quickly as he could, not even sure where he was going. Would he circle around and try to get back to the control room? He didn't think that was an option. Stan and the others were no more than ten feet behind him. There was nowhere to go but forward.

No water pokémon came near him. _They must all be asleep_ , Oliver thought. He had been hoping, distantly, that some big pokémon would swim by and save him, but that no longer seemed likely.

Oliver heard someone start to cough. He glanced backward and saw that Split was having trouble staying afloat. Stan was trying to help him. Caro didn't even seem to notice; his eyes were locked on Oliver, and he was coming.

Oliver didn't have time to give Split any thought. He kept struggling along. The large stone ring that surrounded the water was getting closer. He didn't know if getting there would help him, but at least it would be a break from swimming. His legs were burning in the cold saltwater.

A minute later, he reached the land. He scrambled up onto the stone and took a moment to catch his breath. Only a moment, though; Caro was right behind him. The poochyena had reached the stone as well, and he was pulling himself out of the water.

Oliver ran, but there was nowhere to go. The ring went all the way around the Box, but it was only ten feet wide at any point. The other side of the ring ended in a steep slope. Oliver went over to the edge, and saw that the slope was made up of jagged rocks that seemed to grow out of the ground like flowers. It wouldn't be possible to climb down. Without the sun up, Oliver couldn't even see what was at the bottom. He could hear water, though.

Caro had gotten to his feet. He was soaking wet, and he glared at Oliver. Stan was only just getting out of the water. He was pulling Split onto the land by his mane. Split was coughing water onto the stone.

"Caro, come help!" Stan yelled. "Split's hurt!" In that moment, his words were not spoken with the voice of a bully but with the voice of a frightened child. "I-I don't know what to do. He won't stop coughing."

The poochyena did not acknowledge Stan. He stepped toward Oliver. They were less than five feet apart. Caro was close enough to catch him no matter which direction he ran in.

"You're mine," Caro growled. "I think I'll have that eye now, freak."

Oliver tried to back away and found the deadly slope behind him. "But Stan—"

"Stan is busy. He's not here to stop me now." Caro grinned. "Your eye. I want it."

Oliver considered his chances. He had grown stronger over the past two weeks, but Caro was much older and much bigger. Scull had told him that it would take months of training before he was ready to take on the bullies.

 _Can't win. Need to get away._

Caro stepped forward.

Oliver threw himself backward.

He fell ten feet. It seemed to take forever, yet he had no time to think or brace himself for the impact. A jagged rock slammed against his side. He felt one of his ribs break. Before he could process the pain, he bounced off of the rock and started falling again. This time the fall was shorter—maybe five feet—but the landing was no less painful. He tried to stop himself but the slope was too steep. It was impossible to stop bouncing and rolling downward. Every second brought more pain.

He finally fell onto smooth, level ground. It felt like rock, but he couldn't be sure; his eyes were closed, and he didn't want to open them. The smell of salt filled the air, and he could hear waves crashing nearby. It seemed that he had landed on a lower shore.

 _Caro will be here soon_ , Oliver thought deliriously. He tried to stand and found that he couldn't. How many bones had he broken?

He forced his eyes open. Caro's silhouette still stood at the top of the slope. It was too dark to see his face. Two other silhouettes joined the poochyena's. Split was still coughing and weezing. Stan took one look at Oliver, then turned away and left. The other two followed him.

Oliver suddenly realized that the ground beneath him was wet. He panicked, thinking that the tide was coming in, but when he looked down he saw that he was lying in a pool of blood.

 _I need to get up_ , he thought. _I need to get help._ Oliver urged himself to stand, but he felt too weak to even try. It was growing hard to see. The world seemed too dark even for nighttime. He suddenly felt very tired.

His eyelids descended without permission.


	14. Jay 5

**Jay**

Jay was too sick to return to the Dark Cells. He had thought that, after his night in the Ward of the Halfmen, his illness had left him, but that hadn't ended up being the case. His nausea came and went like the tide of the ocean. The High Warden only had to glance at him to decide that he was unfit to resume his training.

"You will take the two or three days off," the High Warden told him. "I am aware of the effects that the Halfman serum have on a pokémon. It is true that you are handling it better than most, but you are obviously sick. I do not believe that you are capable of learning about the Wards in your current state of mind. Nor do I believe that it would be fair to judge you when you are not in peak shape."

Jay was tempted to argue, but in the end he didn't. He needed to get back to the Dark Cells so that he could speak with the Darkrai, and yet…it would be so much easier to just pretend that the nightmare had never happened. The Darkrai had not entered his dreams again.

 _You are one of the Eight_. It had sounded almost frightened when it said that. What did it mean? It had to mean _something_ , didn't it? God pokémon didn't just say things like that for no reason. At least, Jay didn't think they did.

He was determined to get over his illness as quickly as he could. The High Warden had told the kits that they would be assigned to a new Ward every seven days. That meant that Jay had less than three days to beat his sickness and show the High Warden that he was ready to get back to the Dark Cells. If he didn't get better by then, who knew how long it would be before he had another chance to see the Darkrai?

But the three days came and went, and Jay's nausea barely retreated at all. It was not until the fifth morning after he had been injected with the serum that he felt well enough to return to his lessons. Truthfully, he still felt pretty sick, but he didn't want to push his luck by asking the High Warden for yet another day off. Besides, he was surprisingly eager to start learning more about the Lab.

"You've been assigned to Toga this week," Doki told him that morning. "She's the Warden of the Breeders." They were in the cafeteria, eating breakfast. All of the High Warden's chosen kits sat on the benches around them, their faces buried in the brown slop. There were less of them now than there had been at the beginning. About half of the original fifty remained. The others had been sent away for one reason or another. Jay didn't know where they went, but he assumed that the High Warden no longer considered them candidates to inherit his title.

"Didn't you say that your brother was a Breeder?" Jay asked.

Like always, Doki seemed to grow uncomfortable at the mention of her family. She answered, though. "It was the girl who was the Breeder, and she was my cousin. She's the one who escaped. The boy got made into a Dreamer, I think. I'm not sure, though. I haven't seen him in a long time."

That made Jay frown. He said, "When I'm High Warden, I'll make sure you get to see him as much as you want."

Doki gave him a sad smile. "That's sweet of you, Jay. I'd like that."

Once everyone was finished eating, Doki gathered all of the kits and lead them out of the cafeteria. The Ward of the Breeders was nearby, so Doki didn't have much of an excuse to delay Jay's delivery there. She dropped him, along with four kits, off at a door that opened into a room that was narrow and very long. The ceiling was high, and the place was warm and well-lit. Cages were built into the walls, three tiers high. Most of them held eevee, but there were some eevee evolutions as well. Jay had seen some of them before—flareon, vaporeon, and jolteon could be found fairly easy in big cities like Jubilife, and Blizz had once dragged him over to a sleeping glaceon to show Jay what he wanted to evolve into—but others were foreign to him. He knew what they were—what kind of eevee would he be if he didn't?—but he had only ever seen most of them in pictures. Jay had never actually met an umbreon, espeon, leafeon, or sylveon. He saw them now, though; there were three or four of each. They ranged from pretty young to very old. There were a hundred or so cages along the walls, and perhaps eighty-five were filled.

He only had a few seconds to take in his surroundings. Then a togetic, who Jay figured was probably Toga, stepped over to greet them. There was a strip of gold cloth draped around the back of her neck. It wrapped around to her front side, and it was so long that the bottom ends swung freely near her feet, almost touching the ground.

"Good morning, everyone," Toga said cheerily. She looked around, making eye contact with all five of them. Her expression turned to confusion when she saw Jay. "You weren't here yesterday, were you?"

"I was sick," Jay told her. "The humans put the Halfman serum in me." He had almost forgotten that today was the second day of this week's Warden cycle.

Toga's face showed understanding. "Ah. You're Jay, then? Yes, the High Warden told that you might be a day late, but I'd forgotten. Well, I can't really redo yesterday's lesson just for you, but I'll try to accommodate you if I can. Follow along as best you can, and ask questions if you must."

She led Jay and the kits to the back of the room. As they walked, Jay got a better look inside some of the cages. They were quite spacious, and looked surprisingly comfortable. Each one had a small bed, a blanket, a couple of toys, and bowls filled with food and water. Most of the pokémon were asleep. They looked well-fed. Many even seemed happy.

Jay hadn't been expecting that. _Doki's cousin hated it here_ , he remembered. He had been expecting something terrible, but this Ward didn't seem so bad.

"There aren't as many as I thought there would be," Jay said.

Toga looked back. "What's that?"

"I thought that the Breeders had one of the biggest Wards." He couldn't remember who had told him that. It was probably Doki. Jay looked around the room. "This place isn't that big, though. There's not even a hundred pokémon here."

The four kits were all looking at him strangely, as though they didn't understand why he would speak without being spoken to.

Toga didn't seem to mind, though. "This one room isn't the entire Ward," she said. "There are twelve more rooms just like it, and each of them is just as full as this one. Yes, this is one of the larger Wards. The second-largest, in fact. Only the Cells hold more pokémon. Of course, I don't know _exactly_ how many are in the Cells. Terrin refuses to give me an exact number." She rolled her eyes. "I think he just wants to spite me."

By the time she was through speaking, they had arrived at the back of the room. There were dozens of boxes piled up against the back wall. There were no cages built into this wall. The room was shaped like a long rectangle with dimensions of about twenty feet by one-hundred feet.

Toga used her wings to take flight. Jay, who had only seen a couple of pokémon fly in his entire life, watched in awe as she flew to the top of a box, clawed it open, and heaved heavy brown bags out of it, one by one. Every time she pulled a bag out, she tossed it aside and let it fall to the floor. Each one landed with a loud, gritty thud. Jay wasn't eager to have one of the bags fall on him, so he backed away several feet, and the four kits joined him in retreating.

When Toga fluttered back down to the ground, Jay came forward to inspect the bags. Each one had a yellow label on it. Human words were written in big bold letters across the labels. Jay couldn't read most of the words, but he recognized the most important one: **FOOD**.

"We're gonna feed them?" Jay asked.

"So you really _can_ read the human language," Toga said, amused.

"You can?" one of the kits said. He was maybe three months old, and he looked at Jay with an expression of absolute respect.

Jay hadn't really meant to show off, but he supposed that it wasn't exactly meant to be a secret. "Yeah," he said. "My brother taught me."

" _Wow!_ " said another of the kits. This one was female. "Can you show me how to do it?"

"He can show you on your own time," Toga said, sounding strict for the first time. "Yes, we'll start today off by feeding the Breeders. Once we're done, I'll show you all a bit more about how this Ward works."

There were six bags on the floor. Toga pushed them apart, and assigned one bag to each eevee. "Each of you will feed the pokémon inside of every fifth cage," she said, then gave each of them a starting point. With the way that they were ordered, every Breeder on the lowest tier would end up being fed. Toga herself opened the sixth bag, pulled out a handful of kibble, and flew up to fill the cages on the second and third tiers.

Jay stared at his own bag. It was still sealed shut, and it looked far too heavy to move. As an eevee, he didn't exactly have the opposable thumbs necessary to pick it up. And even if he _could_ move it, how would he carry around the kibble? The other four looked similarly confused.

He looked up at Toga, and noticed that she was watching them out of the corner of her eye. When she saw Jay's gaze, she quickly looked away. _This is a test_ , Jay knew then. _She wants to see how we'll react to something that seems impossible_. Well, he was at least going to _try_ , then.

Jay walked over to the bag, positioned himself, pressed his head down into the side, and began to push it toward his first cage. As he struggled to inch it across the floor, he decided that he hated being a runt.

The kits watched him uncertainly for a few moments, and then they went to mimic what he was doing. They weren't much smaller than Jay, but they seemed to be struggling more than he was.

After several minutes of pushing, Jay arrived at his first cage, which held a jolteon. Its eyes were bloodshot, and he realized that it must have been sleeping. With all the noise that they were making dragging the bags around, they had probably woken up every single pokémon in the room.

That turned out to have been necessary, though. The jolteon's empty food bowl was in the back corner of the cage, and Jay was only able to reach it after the jolteon used its paw to bring it around to the locked cage door.

Jay bent down toward his bag and used his teeth to rip it open. Kibble spilled out of the hole he made, littering the floor. Jay grimaced. He doubted that Toga would appreciate the mess. Well, there was no helping it. The jolteon rattled its bowl against the cage bars. It had a hungry look in its eyes.

Jay tried to scoop the kibble up with his paws. That didn't work. He sighed, then used his mouth to gather up the food. Some of it touched his tongue, and he found that it had a salty taste. Not a good salty taste, though. Not like the fishy crackers he had shared with Blizz only a few hours before they were taken.

He shoved that memory away. He didn't want to think about what his brothers were going through right now. _I'm sure they're all fine_. Jay had always been the weakest of the twins, after all, and he was doing just great.

He swung his head forward and released the kibble from his mouth. The momentum carried the food through the bars. About a quarter of it landed in the food bowl. Most of it scattered on the cage floor. Some of it bounced off of the jolteon's face. It stared at Jay in disgust and disbelief.

"Sorry," Jay told it. Then he started pushing his bag to his next pokémon, five cages down. As he moved it, more kibble spilled out onto the floor.

It took about half an hour before he had gotten to all of them. The bag became a little bit lighter with every pokémon he fed, and by the end, Jay was able to push it easily. He didn't find a better way to distribute the food, though. A lot of pokémon ended up with kibble in their face.

When he was finally done, he turned toward the center of the room, where Toga stood. She was watching them openly now. Toga had finished feeding the second and third tiers before any of the eevee were even halfway through with their cages. Jay was the first eevee to finish, so he walked over to her, leaving the bag of kibble behind.

"Sorry about the mess," Jay said. Looking around now, it was almost embarrassing to see just how much food he had let spill to the floor.

"No need to apologize, dear," Toga told him with a smile. "The Stewards will clean it."

One by one, the kits finished their route and made their way over to Toga.

"What will we do now?" Jay asked her. "You said you would show us how this Ward works, right?"

"I will," Toga said. "But only after we feed _all_ of the Breeders."

Jay frowned, looking around the room. It seemed that every pokémon in every cage had gotten their food bowl refilled. "But—"

" _All_ of the Breeders, Jay." Toga smiled ruefully. "As I said, there are twelve more rooms just like this one."

He resisted the urge to groan.

Hours later, when they had visited every room and fed every pokémon, Jay's legs and paws were obscenely tired. The kits were panting, and Jay was feeling a little out of breath himself.

Toga was unsympathetic. "When the High Warden doesn't send me helpers, I have to do all of this work myself."

"But you can _fly_ ," Jay pointed out.

"True. Oh, fine, I'll give you five a small break. After that, the real lesson begins. You wanted to learn how the Ward works, right?"

After they had all caught their breath and lapped up some water, Toga led them out into the hallway, just as she had twelve times before. This time, though, she did not take them to another big room full of cages. She took them to a _small_ room full of cages.

The room reminded Jay of Resin's control room, but instead of a panel with buttons and switches, the place held a dozen cages. Unlike in the other rooms, these were not built into the wall. They seemed to be the same kind that Tall and Short and Bald had forced the twins into. Each held one pokémon. They all looked up at Toga, Jay, and the kits as they entered. They seemed to grow nervous. Jay started to feel uneasy as well. These pokémon did not seem as content as the ones in the bigger rooms.

Beyond the cages, on the back wall, there was a window and door into another area. It did not contain the blackness of Darkrai's prison, though. The room was large and brightly lit, with sky-blue walls and a floor made of fake grass.

Toga stepped over to a cage, pulled the latch, and swung the steel door open. "Come on out, Seed."

The leafeon, who was apparently named Seed, stepped gingerly out of the cage. Her eyes were watery and nervous. She looked so pathetic that Jay wanted to go over and comfort her. He didn't, though.

Toga smiled at her. "You'll cooperate today, won't you?"

Seed nodded slowly. "Yes," she said in a shaky voice, "I will."

"That's a good girl," Toga said warmly. "You've been _very_ good lately, Seed. I'll let you pick your partner today. Would you like that? Go on, choose." She gestured over to the other cages. Each one contained a male.

Seed looked around uncertainly. "I don't…"

"You _do_ want a say in it, don't you?" Toga asked patiently. "Or should I pick for you?"

"I'll choose," Seed said quickly.

She ended up settling on the only other leafeon in the room. It crawled out of its cage, looking no more eager than Seed. Toga let them into the room with the fake grass.

"What are they gonna do in there?" Jay asked.

"You'll learn when you're older," Toga told him. "I'll let the High Warden decide when to teach you about such things."

"But I'm _way_ older than the others!" Jay complained.

"And still too young," Toga said firmly. "Come, you five. There are other things I need to show you."

Those other things ended up being pretty dull. They returned to one of the big rectangular rooms and spent the next couple of hours learning how to clean cages and fill water bowls. By the time Doki finally came to pick them up, Jay was bored out of his mind.

On their way to the cafeteria, he noticed that three more kits were missing. Jay didn't have to ask what had happened to them. _They disappointed their Warden and now they're gone. I bet I'll never see them again_. And suddenly, Jay's mind began to attack him with questions. What _had_ happened to those kits? Would he ever find out? Did he even want to know?

It wasn't until later, when Jay accompanied Doki on her nightly patrol shift, that he let those questions out.

"You shouldn't ask me stuff like that," Doki told him. "I'm not supposed to tell anyone."

"But _I'll_ never tell anyone that you told," Jay promised.

Doki laughed at that, but then she whipped her head around, suddenly looking nervous.

"What is it?" Jay asked.

"Sharing secrets is dangerous in the Lab, that's all." Doki grimaced. "You never know when there'll be a Watcher around to overhear you." For some reason, her words seemed to make the dark hallway feel a little more ominous.

"I still don't even know what a Watcher is. Can you at least tell me that? I'm gonna learn about them soon anyway, right? I'll probably get assigned to their Warden in a couple weeks."

Doki looked around again, then sighed. "No, you won't. The High Warden isn't assigning any kits to the Watchers. Or the Halfmen, but that's only because there aren't any pokémon running that Ward."

"What about Bald?"

She squinted her eyes and frowned. "Bald?"

Jay had completely forgotten that Bald was not the Halfman's true name. "The furless eevee," he said, a little embarrassed. "The Halfman. I don't know his real name. Do you?"

Doki giggled at the explanation, opened her mouth to answer, and then hesitated. "Actually, I don't," she said, seeming to realize it for the first time. "Huh. I guess Bald is as good a name as any. We probably shouldn't call him that to his face, though."

"I never have," Jay assured her. Then, wanting to get back on topic, he added, "What were you saying about the Watchers?"

"Oh. Everything about them is a big secret. All I know is that they're kind of like the sentries of the Lab. Nobody ever sees them outside of their own Ward, but somehow they seem to know everything that goes on everywhere. It's really weird. I don't even think the High Warden knows much about them."

"And the kits?" Jay asked. Now that she was actually talking, she might be more inclined to share what she knew. "What happened to them?"

Doki was quiet for a long time. Then she sighed, and answered. "The ones who are sent away…well, some are sent to the Cells. Those are the ones that the High Warden sees potential in. They'll be handed off to some Ward and spend the rest of their life there."

"Not all of them, though? What happens to the others?"

"They're sent to the kitchens." She spat the words out quickly, as though they were painful to say and she wanted to get it over with.

"That's bad?" Jay asked, though the dread in her voice was answer enough.

"Yes," Doki said.

Jay waited for her to explain, but she didn't. He thought about pushing her for more, and then decided against it.

After a long silence, Doki said, "It's getting late. Time for bed, I think. For you and me both."

The next day was very boring. Toga made Jay and the four kits do a lot of chores, and she didn't even show them anything interesting this time.

It wasn't until his third day in the Ward of the Breeders that something exciting happened. He was halfway through feeding a batch of Breeders when Bald pushed the door open and stepped into the room with Doki at his side. Jay didn't have to ask to know that they had come for him. Bald said a few words to Toga, and then gestured for Jay to follow.

"They're gonna put more serum in me, aren't they?" Jay asked as they started down the hallway. He didn't know if he should be nervous or excited.

Bald nodded. "They'll run a few tests first, and see how you're progressing. After that, yes, they will inject you with another dose of the serum."

"Will it make me sick again?"

"I would be surprised if it didn't," Bald replied. "Though your symptoms may be less severe. Your body should slowly get used to the serum. When you become fully immune to it, then we'll know that you're ready."

"Ready for what?"

"The surgery."

"I didn't know that Halfmen had to go through surgery," Doki said.

"The serum alone is not enough to make a Halfman," Bald explained.

"What do they do?" Jay asked apprehensively. "When they did it to you, did it hurt?"

"It was…not pleasant." Bald frowned and his eyes glazed over as if he were remembering something. "There's no reason to worry about it now, though. It will likely be months before surgery is necessary."

Jay had more questions, but he sensed that Bald didn't really want to answer them. He spent the rest of the walk making conversation with Doki.

They came to the Ward of the Halfmen and entered the same room as always. The humans were waiting inside. The tests that they ran were not language tests, as they had been last time, but medical tests. The woman pushed a thick plastic syringe into Jay's body. It had been empty when she jabbed it into the vein, but when she pulled it out it was full of dark red blood.

He didn't have much to do for the next hour. Bald was in his human form, talking with the others as they did something with Jay's blood. The humans left Jay alone as they worked. That was fine, though; Doki was still there, and they spent the time talking.

Eventually, Bald changed back into an eevee and told Jay what the humans had found: he was progressing well.

"They think that runts might be the secret to consistently making Halfmen," Bald said. "Something about the way that their bodies are built."

Doki smiled. "Looks like there might be a ton of you guys running around soon."

"Not necessarily," Bald said. "This information only applies to runts of Jay's size and age, and there's no point in making a Halfman out of an eevee that old unless they already have an understanding of the language." He smirked. "There are a lot of eevee in the Lab, but I doubt we have too many that meet those requirements."

The woman came by with the Halfman serum a few minutes later. Jay did not resist. He had grown used to the sharp jab of the syringe.

"How long until they give me my next dose?" Jay asked Bald once it was done.

"The humans have you scheduled to come back every Monday, around noon," Bald replied.

Jay thought about it, and realized that it had indeed been exactly seven days since his last dose. "All right. That's not so bad. The last dose only hurt me for four days."

"Maybe this one will only hurt for three," Bald said.

"And maybe it won't be as bad this time, either," Doki put in.

Bald had been right, but Doki hadn't. A few hours after the injection, Jay was overcome with nausea. If anything, it was even worse than it had been last week. He vomited seven times that day, and there were a few times where he genuinely wondered if he was going to die. By his request, the humans allowed him to sleep in a room separate from the other Halfmen. Doki stayed by his side throughout the ordeal, scratching behind his ears and whispering soothing words to him.

"This is worse, Doki," Jay told her at one point. "This is way worse."

But by Thursday morning he started feeling a little better, and by Thursday night all of the pain was gone. When Doki woke him up on Friday, he was ready to get back to his lessons.

The kits rotated Wards that morning, so Jay had missed most of his time with Toga. That didn't bother him too much, if he was honest. She probably just would have made him do a lot of chores anyway.

"You're with the Dreamers this week," Doki told him over breakfast. Fewer than a dozen kits now ate around them. Their numbers were dwindling fast. _Even if I'm the last one left, it's not a guarantee_ , Jay thought, but he still felt very confident. He realized then that he truly did think that he was certain to become the next High Warden of this place. There was not a single doubt in his mind.

Doki dropped him off with the Warden of the Dreamers. No kits came with him. It seemed that there were so few of them left that most of them had to learn on their own. Jay didn't mind.

The Warden was a manectric named Aidren. Jay had seen him around the Lab before. He had a low voice which, considering his relatively young age, was quite raspy, though nowhere near as bad as Terrin's. The manectric wore a black scarf around his neck.

"I'll be honest with you," Aidren told Jay. "I don't really have much to show you. Pokémon mostly just sleep here. When they wake up, we ask them questions about their dreams, and pass the information on to the humans. That's it. That's pretty much all we do. Follow along and watch me if you want, or go off and explore, or take a nap in the corner, I don't care. Just don't get in my way too much, and I'll give the High Warden a positive report about you."

Jay didn't think that Aidren was testing him or anything, but he followed him around anyway, trying to learn whatever he could. He found that the manectric had not been exaggerating; he patrolled the halls and looked through the small, dark, cluttered rooms until he found a pokémon stirring awake, then walked over and asked them a few questions. Once that was done, Aidren would thank them for the answers and continue his patrolling.

Most of the Dreamers were eevee, but there were also a huge number of jolteon. He asked Aidren about it, and the manectric told him that electric pokémon were really good at being Dreamers, for reasons that nobody really knew. Therefore, most eevee who wanted to become a jolteon were sent here. _Bolt could be here_ , Jay knew. He kept a careful eye out for his brother, but never saw him. _Maybe he's just in a different Ward._ After all, some of the Breeders were jolteon, and the Cells probably held all sorts of pokémon. But he had to ask Aidren about it. Just in case.

"My brother," Jay told him. "His name's Bolt."

Aidren frowned. "You shouldn't ask after individuals in the Lab, kid. Half the time, you hear something you'd rather not."

"I need to know," Jay said.

"There's two hundred or so pokémon in this Ward. I don't know all their names. Sorry, kid, but I really have no idea if he's here."

"Could I go check?" Jay asked. "It wouldn't take too long. The Ward isn't too big."

Aidren considered that, then sighed. "Sorry, but I can't have you running through all the rooms waking everyone up. The Dreamers _really_ shouldn't be woken up mid-vision."

"Oh," Jay said, deflating. "All right." He followed Aidren for another fifteen minutes, and then decided to take up his offer to nap in the corner. Doki nudged him awake hours later.

His second and third days in the Ward went by just as the first one had. Jay spent the first hour or so of each day following Aidren around, keeping an eye out for Bolt, before eventually growing bored enough to go off and sleep for the rest of the shift. He stayed awake on the fourth day, though. It was Monday, and he knew that he the humans in the Ward of the Halfmen would send for him.

Bald showed up a few hours into the day. Doki, once again, had chosen to accompany him.

"If the last two weeks are any indication, he won't be coming back," Bald said.

Aidren didn't seem to mind. He looked at Jay. "I'll see you around, then." He hesitated, then added, "You said your brother's name was Bolt, right?"

Jay's ears perked up. "Yeah. Why?" Could it be that Aidren had seen him?

But the manectric only looked away and said, "No reason. I was just wondering. Go on, kid, see to those humans."

Jay wanted to press Aidren further, but Bald urged him to hurry along.

"I think your mane's getting thinner," Doki said as they walked to the Ward.

"Is it?" Jay tried to look down at it.

"Perhaps a little," Bald said. "But it will be quite some time before it's fully gone."

"I'm going to lose all of my fur, aren't I?" Jay asked. "Just like you." He hadn't really thought about it much, but now he realized that it wouldn't make much sense if he didn't end up looking like Bald.

"Eventually, yes," Bald said. "But only the mane and tail at first. The rest will be lost gradually over the course of many years. You'll keep some of it even after you become a full Halfman."

"Your eyes are getting really blue, too," Doki told Jay.

"They've always been blue. Haven't you noticed?"

"They'll get darker," Bald said. "Just about every experiment in this lab ends up with deep blue eyes. Every Ward uses the same base for their serum, and something in that base changes your eye color."

That wasn't too bad, Jay supposed. He hoped that Night wasn't being experimented on, though. Night had always loved his yellow eyes, and it would be a shame if they turned blue.

This visit to the Ward of the Halfmen went pretty much the same way that the last one had. The humans took Jay's blood, studied it, and then injected him with more of the serum.

Once again, Jay was out of commission for the next three days. The nausea was not quite as bad this time, but he still vomited multiple times each day. He returned to the kits' sleeping room at around noon on Thursday. Nobody was there yet. _They're all out with the Wardens_ , Jay knew. There wasn't much to do around here, so he sat and waited for everyone else to get back.

When Doki arrived a few hours later, she had six kits with her.

"Where are the rest?" Jay asked her.

"These are the only ones left," Doki answered. "The High Warden's been cracking down hard on them. He's been sending them away for the smallest reasons." Later, when they were alone, she confided that she was pretty sure the High Warden was just looking for an excuse to narrow it down to Jay as quickly as possible.

The next morning, when Doki came to wake the seven remaining eevee, Terrin was with her.

"You're with me in the Cells this week, beast," he rasped, sneering. "Thought I'd come get you myself."

Jay was not eager to spend a whole week—or even just the next few days, until it was time for his next dose of the Halfman serum—with Terrin, but he wasn't in much of a position to refuse. _Just get through this, and by the end of the week you'll be the only eevee left_ , he told himself. _The High Warden will pick you soon._

After breakfast, Terrin ordered Jay to follow him. The two of them walked down the hallways together, and as they neared the Cells, Jay thought that the halls were growing darker and darker.

"Not much use for light in these parts," Terrin said. The red bandana around his neck had scrunched up, and he was trying to straighten it out again. "I hate this blasted thing."

"Why do you wear it, then?" Jay asked.

"Well, I have to wear something, don't I?"

"You do?"

Terrin looked at Jay like he was stupid. " _Yes_ , beast, I do. Have you really not noticed that all of the Wardens wear clothes? It lets everyone know that we're important, and lets the Watchers know not to bother us."

Jay tried to remember the other Wardens he had seen. Yes, Resin had his yellow straw hat; Toga had her gold strip of cloth; Aidren had his scarf. He couldn't remember seeing any human clothes on Lyra, but he supposed that she must have been wearing something.

"The High Warden doesn't wear clothes," Jay pointed out. _And neither does Bald_ , he almost said, but stopped himself. He would have to explain himself, and Terrin wasn't Doki. He would probably end up mocking Jay. Besides, he wasn't even sure if Bald was really a Warden.

"The High Warden doesn't need to," Terrin said. "He's the _High Warden_. Everyone knows him."

"Doesn't he have a name?" Jay said, and for a moment he wasn't entirely sure who he was referring to. Come to think of it, he had met a lot of people and pokémon recently whose true names were a mystery to Jay. The High Warden; Tall and Short and Bald; the Darkrai; Red. He didn't even know any of the kits' names, though he had spoken to most of them. "Everyone just calls him 'the High Warden,' but he _must_ have a real name, right?"

"He did, once," Terrin answered. "Now he's the High Warden."

They arrived at the Cells. This Ward made up at least a fifth of the underground Lab, Jay had been told. It was easy to believe that, now that he saw all of the dark, twisting paths. There were almost no rooms here, just long hallways. The cages were lined messily along the walls, seemingly placed wherever they happened to fit. Very few of the cages were empty. Most of the pokémon inside didn't look up when they passed.

"We're just gonna feed them," Terrin said. "I usually leave that job to my Stewards, but I figure I might as well put you to work."

"That's not so bad," Jay said. "I spent hours feeding Breeders for Toga."

"Did you?" Terrin smiled darkly. "Then surely you don't mind feeding the high security prisoners?"

"High security?" Jay didn't like the sound of that.

"And I doubt you need my help, since you've had so much practice. Go on, beast, just walk in a straight line down that direction." He gestured. "Be quick, beast. You don't want me to tell the High Warden you're slacking, do you?"

They both knew that Jay could not refuse. Terrin turned away with one last smirk and started walking in another direction. "I'll find you soon, beast. You'd better be done by the time I get down there."

With nowhere else to go, Jay started down the dark hallway. He passed dozens of cages, then hundreds. By the time he came to the doors at the end of the hallway, he might have passed a thousand.

The doors were double, overlapping each other, not really latched shut but still closed. They were the sort of doors you might see leading into an industrial kitchen. Jay knew at once that they led into the high security wing. He pushed one open and stepped inside of the room, which was large and circular. As soon as he walked inside, he heard growling.

Jay froze. _This is a dangerous place_ , he knew. _I shouldn't be here_. Terrin probably wasn't supposed to send him to this room on his own. What was he even supposed to do in here? He had been ordered to feed the pokémon in here, but he hadn't been given any food to distribute. The growling continued, and Jay suddenly began to wonder if Terrin hadn't tricked him and sent him here to die.

 _You're being stupid_ , Jay told himself. Terrin wouldn't do that. Hadn't he told Jay that he hated liars? Still, this was a frightening place. Despite supposedly being under high security, there were no guards to be seen. _Maybe there are Watchers nearby, and I just can't see them_. Thinking about that made him shudder.

Jay looked around the room, and found the source of the growling. There were ten large cages against the back wall. Five were filled. Four of the pokémon didn't even bother standing, but one did. It was an umbreon. His eyes were very red and full of hate.

"Seems we have fresh meet today, boys," the umbreon said, drawing an indignant look from one of the others, a female flareon. The other three ignored him entirely. One was sleeping.

Jay tried to ignore him as well. _He's in a cage, he can't hurt me._ He got a sense of his surroundings, and found bags of dry kibble—the same kind he had pushed around in the Ward of the Breeders. He pushed one of these bags, too. It scraped across the floor noisily.

The umbreon snorted. "The boy thinks he's our boss."

"Give it a rest, Umber," said the flareon. "He's just a kit."

One of the others, a jolteon, spoke up. "I dunno about you, but I'm starving. It could be Terrin himself feeding us, and I'd still take it gratefully."

Umber glared at the others. "I never said I wouldn't eat." He grinned. "But maybe I'm not hungry for kibble." He crawled forward until his muzzle was sticking through the bars of his cage. "I think I'll have him instead. Would you like that, boy?"

The flareon rolled her eyes. "Don't be afraid, kid. He's always like this."

Jay finished pushing the bag. He tore it open, trying not to look at Umber. _He can't hurt you._

He fed the flareon first. Not wanting to throw the kibble in her face, Jay pushed it up against her cage and let her take several mouthfuls. He moved on to the jolteon, and then moved to push it past Umber's cage.

The umbreon's paw shot out from between the bars. It caught Jay and tore a gash in his side. He cried out in pain and leapt away. Umber lashed out at the bars, reaching with both of his front legs, snarling, snapping his teeth. Jay backed away, terrified. He considered the situation for a moment, and then he ran. He dashed through the double doors and sprinted down the hallway, never looking back. Some of the caged pokémon lifted their head to watch him scramble away.

Several minutes later, he stopped to catch his breath. Jay began to pant and came dangerously close to vomiting again. _I shouldn't have run so far_ , he knew, feeling stupid for getting so frightened. _If I'd just backed away a few steps, I'd have been fine._ Blood was leaking from the wound in his side, but he felt more shame than pain.

He had no choice but to go back and try again. Umber would taunt him, but he would just have to deal with it. He started to step back down the hallway. Then he heard the footsteps.

They were quick and pattering, and they were coming right toward Jay. It was too dark to see who the footsteps belonged to, but they would come into view soon.

Jay considered his options. _It could be Umber_. But how would he have gotten out of his cage? Maybe it was Terrin coming to scold him. Or perhaps—and now that he thought about it, this seemed the most likely answer—it was a Watcher.

 _Should I run?_ Jay was very confused. What was he supposed to do? Would a Watcher be mad at him for running off? Probably.

The pokémon came into view. He stopped when he saw that Jay was not moving. Jay recognized him at once. His eyes had turned from brown to blue, but his orange-brown fur was still the same, and the scratches that Jay had given him had still not fully healed.

Flame stepped forward, squinting. " _Jay_?"

Jay opened his mouth to speak, but found that he had no words. He wanted to run over and embrace his brother, but for some reason his feet would not move.

Terrin stepped out of the shadows behind Flame. Jay hadn't heard him coming.

"Thanks, kid," Terrin said to Flame. "You're dismissed. Go on."

Flame held Jay's gaze for several seconds…then he turned and started to walk away, back into the darkness.

Jay stepped forward. " _Wait!_ " he cried, and Flame hesitated.

"You've got not business giving orders to anyone," Terrin snapped. To Flame he said, " _Go_. I doubt Basher would enjoy hearing that you defied me."

"Basher loves me," Flame declared. "And that's my brother."

Terrin turned to glare at Flame, and their eyes met. For a moment, Jay was certain that one of them would attack the other. Then Flame lowered his gaze.

"Go," Terrin told him. "Go now, and I'll forget about this. I don't care what that beast is to you."

Flame nodded and walked into the darkness, leaving Jay to wonder if they would ever see each other again.

He was so shocked by the encounter that he barely noticed Terrin's approach.

"That boy—your brother, apparently—saw everything. He told me what happened." He did not look pleased. "I didn't realize that you were such a coward, beast. Do you really think that a High Warden can just run from his problems? Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"No," Jay said quietly, answering both questions at once.

"There were a thousand ways you could've handled a situation like that, and you chose one of the worst. Now you're the laughingstock of half the residents of the Cells." Terrin looked ready to bite his head off. "Come with me, beast."

Terrin led him to an empty cage, ordered him inside, and called over a nearby Steward—a machop—to lock it.

"The High Warden would've sent you to the Cells anyway," Terrin said. "Might as well save time by locking you in now." Then he left Jay to go about his duties as a Warden.

Jay spent the next several hours alone in his cage, reflecting on his failures and wondering what would happen next. His side continued to ache dully. He didn't let himself cry, even though nobody was around to see. What was going to happen to him? Had that one moment of weakness really cost him his chance to become the High Warden's apprentice? _Maybe they'll send you to the kitchens_ , a voice in his mind whispered. Doki had been terrified of that place, he remembered. _They won't put me there_ , Jay thought. _I'm a Halfman_. _The humans still need me._ That gave him a little bit of comfort, but not much.

Much later, the High Warden himself came by to see him. He did not looked happy.

"This is regretful, Jay," the High Warden said wearily. "I have grown fond of you, but you know that I cannot accept a coward as my apprentice." Jay opened his mouth to argue, but the High Warden gestured for him to be quiet. "You understand that you have soiled your reputation today, do you not?"

Jay nodded.

The High Warden studied him for a long time before saying, "My Steward, Doki, was present when Terrin came to tell me of your misbehavior. You are aware that those two are helping me to choose my apprentice?"

Jay nodded again.

"When Terrin first told me, I was angry and sad. I had placed such high hopes in you. I meant to choose you very soon. But when Terrin brought me this news, my heart changed at once. I told him to deliver you to the Ward of the Halfmen in the morning, and to make it clear that you were not to come into my presence or speak to me unless ordered to do so by a superior."

Jay's heart dropped. Was that it, then?

The High Warden continued. "Doki changed my mind. She followed me around for more than an hour, begging me to give you another chance. She is too kindhearted for her own good, but she is also intelligent and responsible. I intend to make her a Warden, someday. Perhaps that is why I chose to listen to her."

Jay's ears perked up. "You _are_ giving me another chance?" Apparently, he owed Doki a huge debt.

"I am." The High Warden did not smile, but he didn't look angry, either. "She wants you to become my apprentice immediately, but I would not make such a rash decision after what has happened today. So I have come to a decision. If you are able to face and correct your failure, I will forget this incident."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Jay asked.

"That is for you to figure out," the High Warden said. "You will spend the night in this cage. I suggest that you spend some time thinking about it." He left then, but not before sending for a Steward to see to Jay's gash.

When Terrin came next morning to let him out, Jay was stiff and sore.

"You're lucky, beast," Terrin said. "The High Warden doesn't give second chances easily."

"What am I supposed to do today?" Jay asked, stretching his tired legs.

"What do you _think_ you should do?"

Jay frowned. "I guess I should go back to the high security wing, shouldn't I?"

Terrin did not disagree, so Jay headed down in that direction. The morning did not make the Cells any lighter. When he reached the double doors that led into circular room, he braced himself, then pushed inside.

"Well, would you look who's back?" Umber jeered. "I was sure I'd frightened you away for good."

"You didn't," Jay called back, more boldly than he felt.

Umber laughed. "The boy's found his tongue. Maybe I'll rip it out."

"Stop it, Umber," said the flareon.

"Why should I?" He glared over at Jay. "They didn't feed me yesterday, you know. That's your fault."

Jay walked forward. The bag of food was still near Umber's cage, though it was too far away for the umbreon to reach. Making sure to stay out of Umber's range, Jay pushed the bag over to the flareon and fed her. Next, he made his way over to the other three, allowing each of them to take a few mouthfuls. Then Jay turned away and started to walk back toward the doors, never once acknowledging the umbreon.

"You get back here, boy!" Umber called. "You can't just get away with not feeding me." He showed Jay a cocky smile. "All I have to do is say you're starving me, and then it'll be _you_ they punish."

"It'll be my word against yours," Jay said, turning back to face him. "I'll tell them that I fed you plenty. Who do you think they'll believe? A troublemaker like you, or one of the High Warden's own students?"

Umber snorted. "The High Warden probably doesn't even know who you are. You think I can't see through a bluff?"

"I don't care what you see." Jay continued his steady stroll away.

"You _have_ to feed me!" Umber screamed, sounding genuinely frightened now. "I already went without yesterday!"

"Act nicer tomorrow, then," Jay said, "and maybe I'll think about giving you something." He was starting to feel more confident. _What was I afraid of yesterday? He can't even touch me._ "Terrin's gonna have me in here all week, you know. Maybe I won't feed you at all. You can eat _your_ tongue if you're so hungry."

"You think you have power?" Umber said. His voice was panicked and angry. "You think you'll get away with this? I'm not gonna be in here forever, boy. Once I get out, I'll kill you." He slammed his paws into the cage bars. " _I'll kill you!_ "

"When I'm High Warden, maybe I'll kill _you_." Jay put his paw up on the door, ready to push outward, but he saw no reason not to continue the conversation. "Maybe I'll even send you to the kitchens."

" _Don't you leave_!" Umber shouted. "I need to eat! You want me to beg?" He sounded close to tears. "I'm sorry I cut you. I'll behave, I will. Please, just feed me." He _was_ crying now. The tears cut through the black fur on his face and somehow made it even darker. "See? I'll be good. Don't you make me starve another day, boy."

Jay hesitated, feeling a little bit bad. Then he felt a jab of pain in the gash on his side, and he said, "Try begging tomorrow, _beast_. Maybe I'll be in a better mood." He pushed through the door, leaving Umber's pained screams behind.

When Jay stepped outside, he saw that Terrin was only a few feet away. _He was listening to the whole thing_ , Jay realized. Would he be mad that he had chosen not to feed Umber?

No, it seemed not. Terrin's mouth twisted upward, and it took Jay a moment to realize that he was actually _smiling_. "Not bad, beast," he said, and that was when Jay knew that he had finally won over the old scarred eevee.

That night, Doki did not lead him back to the usual sleeping room. Beaming, she brought him above ground to the High Warden's chambers. She set him up in his own room. It was carpeted, and even had a bed. An hour or so later, a different Steward came by. He was carrying something black in his mouth, but once he stepped into Jay's room he dropped it to the floor. At first, Jay thought it was a small, empty sack. On closer inspection, he realized that it was a hat.

"The High Warden wants you to wear this from now on," the Steward said, "sir."


	15. Oliver 5

**Oliver**

Consciousness attacked him, but Oliver resisted. He didn't want to return to the waking world. Not yet, anyway. When he slept, the pain didn't seem so bad. In his dreams, it didn't matter how many of his bones were broken. The black void he floated through was safe, and even a little comfortable.

Comfortable?

No, that didn't seem right. In this void it was hard to think coherently, but Oliver could not remember ever having felt physically comfortable in a dream. There were times that he dreamt of pleasant things, like making friends or having a mother who loved him, and those dreams were comfortable in their own way. But that was _emotional_ comfort. This was different.

 _It's coming from the real world_ , he knew. Oliver realized that he was lying on something soft and familiar. That scared him. If he could _feel_ , that meant that he could _wake_.

 _And what is so wrong with waking?_

The voice was strangely soothing, and seemed to come from within Oliver's mind, but he did not think that it belonged to him. Perhaps it was some part of him that he did not know existed. Or perhaps it was simply from a passing dream, or from the world itself. _Yes_ , Oliver decided, _that's it, it must be from the world. My own mind wouldn't be stupid enough to ask that question._

 _What is so wrong with waking?_ the voice said again. Oliver could not place its tone. Was it curious? Encouraging? Defiant?

 _I can wake you. Let me wake you, child._

 _No_ , Oliver thought. _No, please, let me keep sleeping, I don't want to wake, I don't ever want to wake up again._

 _Is it death that you seek?_

Oliver did not answer.

 _I will not give you death. Perhaps my brother would, on one of his crueler days, but he is preoccupied now, and you will not have it from me._

Oliver remained silent. _It's just some dream. It's just some crazy world voice._

 _And besides_ , the world voice continued _, your part is not yet done. You must meet the Mask and save the Changer. You must fight the Amnesiac and the Ranger and the False Father. You must kill the Warden and the Darkness and the Doctor's kindness. Only then may you die. Let me wake you, child._

 _No._

The world voice was silent for a while _. Very well. I will grant you sleep, for now. But your training must continue._

As soon as the world voice finished speaking, Oliver was plunged much further into the black, dreamless void. All coherent thought left him. He no longer felt comfort.

It was hard to say how long he stayed in that void. Time passed strangely here. Every once in a while, Oliver heard voices, but they were so muddled and far away that he could not make out what they were saying. Between those voices there was nothing but black silence.

The darkness wore on.

When he finally woke up, he kept his eyes shut for a long time. He heard rustling in the distance, and there was something soft beneath him. And there was pain. Not as much pain as he had been expecting, but it was there.

Oliver forced his eyes open. He saw that he was lying in a small box filled with a strange yellow material. Blazing metal sconces lined the rock walls. Agga's cave.

He looked to his side, and sure enough, there was Agga. The chansey was going through one of her boxes.

"Agga," Oliver tried to say, but the word caught in his throat and came out as a croak.

Agga turned. "You're up? Good. I was starting to wonder whether you would sleep forever."

Oliver was reminded of that world voice. He could barely remember what it had said. Hadn't it spoken of sleeping and waking, of life and death?

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked.

"Six days. I didn't even know it was possible to sleep for so long. Your injuries are very bad."

Injuries? Yes, now he remembered. Stan and Caro and Split had been chasing him, and somehow he had fallen down a sharp, rocky slope. Had he been pushed? No, that wasn't it. _I threw myself off._ Why had he done that? _Caro._ Yes, Caro. It was all coming back to him now.

"What happened?" Oliver asked. "After, I mean. After I fell."

"Well, your brother came over here and got me. He was out of breath when he got here, so I guess he was sprinting."

"My brother?" Oliver did not understand. Stan and Split were the only brothers to see him fall. "Which brother?"

"I think his name is Stan. He was half-carrying that one as well." Agga gestured to Oliver's left.

 _Stan?_ He looked over. Split was sleeping in the next bed over. Somehow, Oliver had failed to notice him until now. He seemed to be asleep.

Now it made sense. Stan hadn't been helping _Oliver_ , he'd been helping _Split_.

So how had he gotten here?

"Oh yes," Agga went on, "Stan was very worried about you. He was blubbering so hard that I could hardly understand him. But maybe that was just because he was out of breath." She looked thoughtful. "Anyway, yes, Stan came and got me. I rushed to Box Six and had one of its denizens go and retrieve you. You took a nasty fall." She eyed him. "But it _wasn't_ a fall, was it? Don't lie to me this time."

Technically, it _had_ been a fall, but Agga wasn't going to believe that.

"Stan didn't tell you what happened?" Oliver asked.

"No. Was he involved?" She frowned. "Did _he_ do this to you?"

"No," Oliver said. He wasn't really sure why he was lying. "But Caro…did Caro come with him? When he brought Split here?"

"Caro? He's a poochyena, right? No, I didn't see him."

"He made me fall. Not Stan."

Agga looked at him gently. "Has he been the one behind all of your visits?"

Oliver nodded.

"You should have told me sooner. Foolish boy." She turned away and continued rummaging through her supplies. "Though I'm not sure what we're going to do about it. I was hoping that your mother would…" she trailed off.

"What?" Oliver said.

"She came by to visit you the other day."

"And?"

"Once I told her that you would live, she seemed disinterested. When I said that I did not believe this to be an accident, she told me not to worry. I believe she said something along the lines of 'boys will be boys.'"

Oliver was unsurprised. "I know. She always acts like that."

Agga's stare was full of pity. "I understand now why you didn't want to tell me. But we will not let this happen again, child."

 _Scull told me the same thing._ That reminded him of his friends. He asked Agga about them.

"Those four? They've all been visiting. Scull comes twice each day. He seems to think that this is all his fault."

"It wasn't," Oliver said.

"I know, child. I've told him so a hundred times. Maybe he'd like to hear it from you. He's probably out training now, but I'm sure he'll be here soon."

Oliver had no choice but to stay and wait. Agga told him that his wounds were healing quickly, but that it would still be weeks before he returned to his usual condition.

"You're lucky you were born a pokémon," she said. "That fall would have killed a human."

After a while, the chansey left to run an errand, leaving Oliver and Split alone. Split stayed asleep, thankfully. Oliver didn't really want to talk to him.

When he heard footsteps approaching, he was sure that it was Scull coming to visit, or maybe Agga returning. Maybe Mother was even coming to see that he was healthy. He was not expecting it to be Stan.

He walked in calmly, making a beeline for Split's bed. Stan did not look at Oliver.

"Did Caro come with you?" Oliver asked. For some reason he felt completely calm.

Stan shook his head. He used his paw to wake Split, whose eyes fluttered open.

"Stan?" Split said.

"Agga should've let you go by now," Stan grumbled. "You're not that hurt. She's been questioning you about what happened, hasn't she?" He turned to Oliver and narrowed his eyes. "Did _you_ tell her?"

"I said it was Caro." They both seemed to understand that Agga's cave was not a place for fighting. They had a truce here.

"It _was_ Caro," Stan said. He sounded angry. "I didn't know what he was doing until it was already done. After it happened, I told him to help, but he just ran home."

"Are you taking me back to Box Four?" Split asked.

Stan thought about it. "No. Agga wants you here. I don't know why, but she does. I just came by to make sure you were okay."

"You've been here every day," Split said. "Why wouldn't I be fine?"

Stan didn't answer. To Oliver he said, "You'd better stay out of my way for a while. And Caro's. Understand?"

Oliver thought that he did. He nodded.

Stan left. Only Oliver and Split remained in the cave.

Split looked at him awkwardly. "I never meant for you to get hurt so badly, Oliver…"

Oliver didn't know what to say, so he didn't answer. Split didn't try talking to him again.

An hour or so later, Scull entered the cave with Skitty. They both seemed exhausted from a long day of training. Agga was still not back.

"Oliver!" Scull cried. "You're awake!" He rushed to the bed, and Skitty followed. "How badly are you hurt?"

"It's not too bad," Oliver said. "Agga didn't say exactly what was wrong. I think some ribs are broken." He put pressure on one of his legs, and winced. "Maybe a leg, too."

"That's your fault, isn't it?" Skitty growled at Split.

"We've scolded him enough this week," Scull told her.

"I don't think we have. He still won't admit he's the reason Oliver got hurt."

Split said, "I told you, it was _Caro!_ Me and Stan chased him too, but only Caro pushed him."

Skitty growled again. "Little boy, if you're lying to me, I'll eat your heart."

Split recoiled in his bed. He looked to Oliver for support.

"That's enough, Skitty," Scull muttered.

"It wasn't him," Oliver said. "It really was just Caro." He didn't know why he was defending Split.

"Really?" Skitty said. "Well, that still doesn't excuse trying to beat you up. Or any of the other times."

"I know," Split said. He looked away.

"What are you _thinking_ , boy?" Scull asked. "Why do you chase Oliver around? He's younger than you, and it's three against one."

"Stan says we have to 'cause of his red eyes."

Scull frowned. "Doesn't your poochyena friend have red eyes?"

"That's different."

"How?"

"I dunno. Stan says it is, though."

"Well, Stan is _wrong_!" Skitty said.

"What?" Split said. "No, Stan is never wrong."

Oliver found his voice. "If red eyes are evil, what does that say about Caro? You really think that it doesn't apply to him?"

Split didn't seem to have an answer for that.

Scull and Skitty spent the next twenty minutes or so speaking with Oliver, who had to assure Scull several times that none of this was the houndour's fault. Then they left. As they went, Skitty sent one last glare over at Split. Split flinched.

After that, the two eevee were alone for a long time. The silence wore on for a while.

Then Split said, "I don't know see why Stan would lie to me."

Oliver didn't respond.

"Maybe he's just mistaken. I don't think you're _that_ big of a freak, Oliver."

"Oh. Thanks."

Agga came back some time later, and neither of them spoke much after that.


	16. The Kitchens, Part 1

**The Kitchens, Part 1**

 **Jay**

"I never thought that _you'd_ be a Watcher," Jay told his brother. They walked together through the dark, twisting hallways, trying to find their way to the cafeteria.

Flame snorted. "What, _you're_ surprised? How do you think I feel? Two days ago I saw you for the first time in weeks, and you were being chewed out by a Warden. Jay, I thought he was gonna _kill_ you. Now I'm being told that you, Jay, the youngest twin, the eternal kit of the group, are being trained to run this entire blasted place." He let out another bark of laughter. "And I thought I had it good."

It was the evening after Jay had been given his own room in the High Warden's quarters. He had spent most of the day working with Terrin in the Cells, but now his shift was over. Now that he was officially the High Warden's apprentice, Jay had more freedom to traverse the Lab. He was no longer required to be with a Steward or Warden at all times. The soft black hat on his head let the Watchers know to leave him alone. It fit snugly over his ears and muffled his hearing a bit, but was otherwise comfortable.

He had promised to meet Doki for dinner, but after his shift it had been too early to eat. Jay had decided to wander the corridors of the Lab to pass the time. Apparently, he had unintentionally walked right into the Ward of the Watchers. He had been very surprised when Flame burst from the shadows to greet him.

"You're sure it's okay to just leave?" Jay asked. "Your Warden won't get mad?"

"I'm not working tonight," Flame said. "They won't miss me. Actually, I _never_ work night shifts."

"Why not?"

Flame grinned. "Basher and I have a deal. If I can make him laugh, I get the night off."

The hallway grew lighter and wider as they neared the cafeteria. Jay's stomach growled. He hadn't intended to spend so long wandering the Lab. Doki would still be there, wouldn't she? _I hope I didn't keep her waiting._

"Jay," Flame whispered suddenly. There was urgency in his voice. "How are we gonna get out of here?"

Jay blinked. "Get out?"

"Keep your voice down," Flame whispered. "This part of the Lab is swarming with Watchers."

Jay began to whisper as well. "What do you mean, 'get out?'"

"I mean what I said. Y'know, leave. Get away. Bust out. Take a powder. How are we gonna get _home_ , Jay?"

 _Go home?_ Jay didn't know how to answer. He realized that he had never even considered the possibility of escaping. It was just something that didn't seem possible. And then there was the question of whether or not he _wanted_ to escape.

"You and I have it good here…" he said.

"Yeah," Flame said with sudden hostility, " _you and I_ do. What about the others? I haven't seen Bolt in nearly a month. Who knows if he's even alive? And what about Night and Sky and Blizz? You haven't forgotten about your twin, have you?"

"Of course I haven't." Jay tried not to grow angry. He knew that Flame was right. "Look, when I take over as High Warden, everything'll get better. I can find all the others and make sure they stay safe."

"They could all be _dead_ by then." Flame sighed. When he spoke again, his voice was more calm. "Okay, let's pretend that it'll all work out like you say. Are we just supposed to stay here forever? What if I don't _want_ to be a Watcher for the rest of my life? Who cares about being _safe?_ I miss home. I miss our trainer. I miss our family. Am I just supposed to accept that I'll never see them again? And what about my friends? I'm still good friends with the battling team. And Skitty! She taught me everything I know!"

"You're getting too loud."

"Well, I can't help it. Come on, Jay. You're the only twin who managed to get any _real_ power. Being a Watcher is nice, but you're stupid if you think they trust me. They watch me more closely than I watch anyone."

They passed a Steward, who gave them a strange look. Jay doubted that he had heard anything incriminating, but it was a good cue to calm down. The cafeteria was very close, and the traffic in the hallway was increasing.

"There's no need to make a decision right now," Jay said, trying to end the conversation. "We both have nights off, right? We can meet up as much as we want."

"Every passing day is another chance for one of our brothers to die," Flame said.

Jay chewed his tongue. "I know."

"So when will we talk about this? Tomorrow night?"

"I can't," Jay said. "Tomorrow's Monday."

"So?" Flame, like all of the twins, had some understanding of the human language. As such, he also knew the human days of the week.

"I'm a Halfman," Jay said, realizing that he had never told Flame. "They give me the serum every Monday."

"The Halfman serum?" All of Flame's anger was gone. "Isn't that stuff, like, _super_ deadly?"

"Apparently not for runts."

"Huh. Well, what does that have to do with anything? It doesn't take all night just to get one shot, does it? We can meet up afterward."

"I always get sick after I take the serum," Jay explained. "I probably won't be able to leave the High Warden's chambers for at least three or four days." Flame would almost certainly not be allowed above ground to visit him.

"It has to be tonight, then," Flame said. "I can't wait three or four days. Not while Bolt is in danger."

Jay did not want to commit one way or the other. Thankfully, they reached the entrance to the cafeteria just as Flame finished speaking.

"Let's go," Jay said, stepping inside. "Doki should be here."

Doki was. She sat at one of the empty tables at the far end of the room. When she saw Jay, she smiled. He made his way to the table, and Flame followed.

Her smile fell a bit when she saw Flame. "Who…?"

"This is Flame," Jay said. "My brother."

"Oh. Hello! Um…I don't think he's allowed in here. Only Wardens, Halfmen, Rangers, and Stewards, remember?"

"I'm here with a Steward and the future High Warden," Flame said, seating himself. "Who's gonna kick me out?"

Doki looked distressed, but she did not object.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting," Jay said.

"Oh, I haven't been here long," Doki said. Her smile was back.

By the time Jay sat down, Flame was already eating.

"Man this stuff's _great_ ," he said through a mouthful of brown slop. "It's been way too long since I had too long since I had something other than kibble."

Jay laughed. "Slow down. You're reminding me of Blizz."

Flame came up for air. "I can't help it."

"You should eat too, Jay," Doki said. "Get as much of it as you want, 'cause you probably won't be eating much more of it."

"Why not?"

"Wardens have their own cafeteria," Doki explained. "Sometimes the High Warden lets me go in with him. The food's way better than it is here. Sometimes they even serve the leftovers from the human cafeteria. You can still come to this one if you want, but I doubt you ever will."

"You'd better share," Flame said, still eating.

For a while they were all silent as they ate. The food still tasted good, but by now Jay was used to it. He wondered if human food would ever grow stale to him. _Probably not_ , he thought, remembering the fishy crackers that he had shared with Blizz. The two of them had shared a lot of snacks over the course of their lives. Once, their trainer had even given them a big cake. Jay thought that it might have been for his and Blizz's birthdays, but he wasn't sure. Most pokémon didn't pay as much attention to that sort of thing as humans did.

 _One day I'll have to pay attention to that sort of thing_ , he realized. _One day I'll be as much of a human as my trainer is_. But was that true? Bald was called a _Half_ man, after all, and he had even once told Jay that he still considered himself to be a pokémon.

Well, someday soon Jay would be a man, half or not. His fur continued to shed. Every hair that fell off of his body brought him closer to his fate. It was exciting and scary at the same time. _They'll probably let me into the human cafeteria once my training is complete. I bet they let Bald in._

But that wasn't the only privilege that Bald had been given, was it? Jay had first met him outside of the Lab. _Halfmen can come and go_ , he realized, _just like Rangers_. That shouldn't have surprised him, but it did. What did it mean for him? Would he be allowed out as well? How could they let him leave if he had to run the whole Lab? _Maybe I can appoint someone to take over while I'm gone. Night would be good at that sort of thing._

"Ah, Jay!" a familiar voice said from across the room.

Jay turned. Doki looked over as well, and Flame lifted his head from the food. Dane the servine stood in the doorway, and he wasn't alone. Char was beside him; the pawniard, Blade, looked stoically forward from behind those two; Sig was already walking around the other four toward their table; and Spike the riolu crouched nervously behind his friends. His shaky posture made it look like he was hiding.

"Who are they?" Flame asked as they approached.

"Rangers," Doki whispered. "They're a pretty new team. I don't think they've even left the Lab yet."

"Rangers?" Flame's eyes unfocused and he seemed to grow lost in thought.

Jay had no time to question him, for the Rangers had arrived at their table.

"I heard the news," Dane said, sitting down next to Jay. The servine stole a glance at his hat. "Congratulations, friend."

"Thanks," Jay said. The other Rangers were gathering up around him. "Are you all gonna eat with us?"

"I wish we could," Dane said.

"We're just here to drop Dane and Char off," Sig explained. His voice was deep and distorted by his weight.

"Drop them off?"

"Dane and I need to go into the kitchens," Char said.

"The _kitchens?_ " Doki looked terrified. "Why would you want to go in there?"

"Who said anything about _wanting_?" Dane shook his head. "Just something we've gotta do, that's all."

"What are you going in there for?" Flame asked. "I've never heard of anyone going into the kitchens and coming back out."

Dane glanced over at Flame for the first time. "We have an arrangement with Rash." He frowned. "I've never seen you before. Who are you?"

"Nobody important."

"Hm. Well, we only stopped to say hello. Char and I really should get going." He rose and gestured to the charmander to follow him. Dane nodded to Jay, then started for the doors in the back of the room. He pushed them open and the duo disappeared inside of whatever chamber lay beyond.

" _That's_ where the kitchens are?" Jay asked. It was strange to think that they had been so close this whole time.

"Where else would they be?" Sig said. "Listen, I'm going to stay and eat, but I'm sure you three want some privacy. I'll go to another table." With that, the fat eevee began to cross to the other side of the room. Jay didn't stop him.

"We will go as well," Blade said. "Come, Spike." The pawniard walked toward the cafeteria's entrance, and did not look back.

Spike began to follow him. Flame's paw shot out and touched his wrist.

The riolu yelped and leapt several feet out of the way. Flame drew his paw back, startled. The other pokémon in the room were all staring.

"Uh…sorry," Flame said. "Didn't mean to scare you. Just thought you might like to sit and eat with us."

Jay turned his head and studied his brother. Where was he going with this? Flame's eyes still held that puzzling look.

Spike looked at the three of them warily. "Well…okay." He sat down at the edge of the bench.

"Your leader wasn't with you when you came in," Doki noted.

"Oh, he was." Spike showed her a weak smile. "He left as soon as he saw you, Jay. I think he's scared of you."

"Red's _scared_ of me?"

Doki giggled. "Well, after the way you attacked him a few weeks ago…"

"If you attacked him like you attacked me, I guess he has a reason to be scared." Flame's face still bore the remnants of the scratches that Jay had given him.

Spike poked at the food in the center of the table. He stared downward as he spoke. "It's weird. I'm supposed to be the coward of the team, not him."

"You shouldn't talk about yourself that way," Jay said.

"It's true, though. Honestly, I'm _terrible_ at being a Ranger. If my mom wasn't a Warden, I'd have gone straight to the Cells."

Flame's eyes widened. " _That's_ where I know you from! I knew you looked familiar. Lyra's your mom, right?"

"Yeah." Spike looked over at him. "How'd you know that?"

"I'm a Watcher."

That seemed to fill Spike with a strange sort of fear. "Oh."

Flame pressed on. "I patrol the Ward of the Rangers sometimes. You guys are right next to the Fighters, right? And Lyra's the Warden there?"

"Should you really be sharing this with us?" Doki asked.

"It's fine," Flame answered. "It's not like I'm telling you the _big_ secret."

"And you'd better keep it that way," she said. "They'll kill all four of us if you tell us. Well, maybe not Jay. I don't know."

"Go on, Spike," Jay said. He didn't want the topic of discussion to turn to death and danger. That would scare the riolu, and it would scare Jay as well.

"We share a Ward with the Fighters, yeah," Spike said. He continued to stare at the table. "And yeah, Mom's the Warden of the Fighters."

"So what?" Jay asked Flame.

"Jay," Flame said, " _Blizz_ is a Fighter."

Jay's ears perked up. "He is? How do you know?"

"Blizz?" Doki said. "That's your twin, right? I remember you telling me about him."

Jay nodded.

Flame said, "He was the second one to get taken away on the day that we all got brought in. I was the third. Bolt, Sky, and Night were all still in the cage when Basher took me. But I saw Lyra take Blizz. Sorry, Jay, I should've mentioned it sooner, but it never crossed my mind. It didn't seem all that urgent. But now that I know your friends with Lyra's son…"

Jay and Flame both looked eagerly at Spike.

Spike lifted his gaze to meet Flame's, but he dropped it just as quickly. "I…I don't know if I'd say we're…"

"You'll help us, won't you?" Jay said. "Please? I haven't seen him in weeks."

"What am I supposed to do?" Spike said uncomfortably. "I can't just ask my mom to break the rules."

"No need for that," Flame said. "We wouldn't want anyone to get in trouble. Just ask her if we can visit. You'll at least do that, right?"

Spike sighed. "Well…all right. I guess that's not so bad."

"Great!" Jay said loudly. "Let's go right now!" The prospect of seeing Blizz rose an eagerness inside of him that he had not felt since before he was ripped from his home.

"Now?" Spike looked uncertain. "I thought…I mean, I thought I'd get a little bit of time to, y'know, practice what I wanted to say, and…"

"It has to be tonight, or I won't get another chance for days," Jay said, remembering the Halfman serum.

"Oh, fine." Spike sounded utterly defeated. "Let's go, then."

Doki rose, looking very uncomfortable. "This is all...really shady. I shouldn't be here. I can't get in trouble again. Not after Fern…"

"We'll need a Steward to escort us," Spike said. "Unless one of you two knows the way?" He looked to Jay and Flame.

"Nope," Jay said.

"Not from here," Flame said.

"Can't you just get a different Steward?" Doki sounded more desperate than angry.

"I mean," Jay said, "like you said, this is shady. I'd rather have someone I trust."

Doki looked at him and smiled. Then she frowned. "I really shouldn't."

"Doki," he pleaded, "it's my _twin._ "

She was silent for a very long time. Finally she said, "Okay. But promise me this won't lead to anything bad."

"I promise," Jay said, grinning.

The four pokémon departed from the cafeteria and began the long walk to the Ward of the Fighters. Doki led them for the first half hour or so, but as they neared the Ward Spike took over. He seemed to be much more familiar with these halls than Doki was.

They came to a large wooden door. Unlike most of the doors in the Lab, this one had a knob.

"Mom can turn it, so they put it on to keep other pokémon out," Spike explained. "This is kind of like her office, I guess. You three wait out here. I'll talk to her." He turned the knob and pushed into the room, leaving Jay, Doki, and Flame outside.

"Thank _Arceus_ he's gone," Flame whispered after a few moments. "Have you ever met anyone so weird?"

"I think he's sweet," Doki said.

"I feel kinda bad for using him like this," Jay admitted. "He doesn't seem so bad." Of the six Rangers, he thought that Spike was the easiest to trust. Red was violent and Blade was silent. Terrin had warned Jay about Dane and Char was very close with the servine. Sig seemed okay too, though it was hard to say for sure, since Jay didn't really know him.

"Doesn't seem so bad? Jay, do you _know_ how many jokes I had to keep from spilling out back in the cafeteria. Man, I had a great one about that staring contest he was having with the table."

It seemed that Flame was about to start rambling, but just then the door opened again. Lyra stepped out into the hallway and Spike followed her like a shadow. Jay had not seen it before, but now he noticed that she wore a black arm band.

"Spike said that you wanted to see me?" Her voice was kind but curious.

"You're not busy right now, are you, ma'am?" Doki asked. Jay was grateful for her; he had never been good with formalities and niceties.

"Not at all," Lyra said. "It's late. I've finished all of my duties for today. Actually, I was about to head above ground to my chambers." She spied Jay's hat. "Why? Does the High Warden have some business for me?"

"Nothing like that," Doki said before Jay could even consider lying.

"He wants to see his brother," Spike mumbled.

"Brother?" Lyra asked. "What brother?"

"His name is Blizz," Jay told her. "He's a Fighter."

"I see." Lyra's face was warm but uncertain. "Has the High Warden given you permission for this?"

"No," Jay admitted.

Lyra was silent as she thought. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"We just want to see him," Flame said. "We won't take him out of the Ward or anything."

Lyra took a moment to consider that. "What was his name?"

"Blizz," Jay said, and his heart filled with hope. "His name is Blizz."

"Well, we'll see if we can find him. I can't let you take him out of his room, but I guess there's no harm in letting you visit for a while. Follow me."

Ten minutes later, they came to a new door. This one was made from heavy steel. It was rusted all over, and a large padlock held it shut. Lyra retrieved a key from under her arm band and undid the lock. Then she pushed the door open and let the eevee inside.

Lyra herself did not enter. "I'm sure you can recognize him more quickly than I can," she said. "I'll leave the key in the padlock. Get a Steward to lock it on your way out." With that, the lucario left, taking her son with her.

This new room was not unlike the ones in the Ward of the Breeders. Cages were built into the walls. The room—which, due to the way that the walls stretched on and on, felt more like a hallway—was dark and dank made from stone.

"Whoa, this place is weird," Flame said. "Might be the first room I've seen in this place that isn't white."

Jay was reminded of the room that held the Halfmen. He shuddered.

Doki seemed to be in a similar state of mind. "This place gives me the creeps. Let's hurry and find your twin."

Jay nodded and began to step cautiously down the room. He didn't bother trying to smell for Blizz; the scents of a hundred pokémon mixed and mingled here. Unlike in the Ward of the Breeders, there was only one tier of cages, so he didn't have to crane his neck to look up. He scanned the cages to his left and right. Most of the pokémon were sleeping, and none were Blizz.

"Wait," Flame said after a minute or so. "Jay, over there."

Jay had already looked at the cage that Flame gestured toward, but now he inspected it more closely. The eevee inside looked familiar, but it couldn't have been Blizz, could it? This eevee was too thin, too lean, too small. He looked nothing like the chubby brother that Jay had known.

But as he got closer, he saw the eevee's face, and that was when he knew. Jay gasped and then he was running. Flame and Doki followed.

"That really is him." Blizz was sleeping, so Jay whispered. "He looks so different."

"They're starving him," Flame growled, not bothering to keep his voice low.

"No," Doki said. "If anything, the humans overfeed Fighters. But they train and exercise all day, and the Fighter serum changes them too."

Jay reached through the thin bars of the cage and nudged his twin. "Blizz! Blizz, wake up."

Blizz's eyes opened surprisingly quickly. He picked his head up from his blanket. "Huh? Jay?" There was no sleep in his voice.

"What were you thinking, Blizz?" Flame said cheerfully. "How am I supposed to crack fat jokes now? I had a good dozen saved up."

"Make friends with Sig," Doki suggested.

"Eh."

"Sorry, bro." Blizz grinned as he got to his feet. The cage was just large enough for him to stand comfortably. "Hey, all of you stand back for a sec."

"Why?" Jay asked as he stepped away.

He got his answer a few moments later, when Blizz slammed his paw into the cage door. The metal bars wobbled and creaked, and the noise was atrocious. The second hit took the door off the wall and sent it flying halfway across the room. It hit the stone floor and skidded for a few feet. Somehow, the racket did not disturb the other pokémon in the room. Some looked up, but none seemed bothered. It was almost like they were used to some things.

"Wha—you…" Doki did not seem to know how to respond. "You can't just…"

Blizz snorted and crawled out onto the floor. "Chill, it's fine. Half a dozen eevee break their doors every night. Never on purpose, I think. They do it in their sleep. Just something that happens 'cause of the stuff they give us."

"The serum?" Flame asked.

"Yeah, I guess. I know it makes us crazy strong, for some reason. But I don't— "

Blizz was cut off as Jay slammed into him. The larger twin did not even budge, but he stopped talking to look down. Jay put his face into his brother's mane and he could not stop himself from crying. He tried to speak but choked on his words.

Blizz laughed. "I missed you too, bro. Nice hat, by the way." He turned his head to look over to Doki. "Who are you, anyway?"

They made their introductions quickly, and by the time they were done Jay had managed to get his emotions under control. He was the High Warden's apprentice now. He had to be more mature than that.

"So what are you guys doing here, anyway?" Blizz asked. "Busting me out?"

Flame sent a quick glance over at Jay, and Doki said, "What? We can't…I brought Jay to visit, that's all."

"Ah. That's too bad. Well, let's get going."

Doki appeared dumbfounded. "What?" Her eyes widened. "Are you saying—"

"Chill," Blizz told her. "I just want to get out of here for a while. I haven't left this Ward since the day I got here."

"Lyra doesn't want you to leave this room," Doki protested. "You can't just walk around the Lab."

"Why not? You guys can, apparently."

"You're just a Fighter. I'm a Steward. Flame's a Watcher. Jay's going to run this whole place in a couple of years."

"Really? Cool."

"I want him to leave with us," Jay said.

"Jay!" Doki didn't look angry, but hurt.

"I'm supposed to be in charge here, right? I want him with me. We can go do something."

"The Watchers might disagree with you," Doki said.

"This Watcher is on Jay's side," Flame said.

Doki whirled her head around to glare at him. Jay could see that her eyes were full of fear and desperation. He started to feel bad for her.

"You can leave if you want," Jay told her. "I don't want you to get in trouble because of us. But I have to spend time with my brothers, Doki. Before I take the serum tomorrow."

For a moment, it looked like Doki was, in fact, going to leave. Then she sighed deeply and said, "This is dangerous, Jay. You know that?"

Jay nodded.

She said, "I can't just run off while you get caught doing whatever it is you're trying to do. You're my friend. And your brothers are my friends too, even if I only just met them. Without a Steward, you'll be lost in ten minutes. You may be doing something stupid, but with me, you'll at least have a chance. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't help you. It would be like Volt and Fern all over again. I'm going with you."

Jay smiled. He went to her and nuzzled her mane, just as he had done with Blizz. "Thanks, Doki."

Doki sighed. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Hopefully the Watchers won't stop us. They might just assume he's on business with us. But they do random stops sometimes, Jay. If they do, it'll be hard to explain why we defied a Warden's orders."

"Don't worry about that," Flame said. "Doki, you Stewards keep track of the time, right?"

"I think it's a bit past eight. Why?"

"I know the Watcher routes around these parts. Give me directions and I'll keep us to the empty hallways."

Doki nodded. Then she eyed the door that Blizz had knocked off its hinges. "Should we, uh, do something about that?"

"It'll be fine," Blizz said. "Just get me back before morning. As long as I'm in my cage, Lyra won't be mad."

Doki had no more protests, and soon they were walking through the halls again. Flame suggested that they return to the cafeteria and then figure out what to do. Doki thought it would be dangerous to go back there, but Flame was adamant.

"All the humans will be gone by now, right?" Flame asked.

"Most of them go home at nights," Doki said. "There shouldn't be any there. Why?"

"I've got an idea. I'll explain when we get there."

Nobody spoke as they made the long walk back to the cafeteria. The only words exchange were between Doki and Flame, who were trying to figure out exactly where they were.

"If we're wrong, we won't know until it's too late," Doki said grimly.

"Oh, don't be like that," Flame said. "We may never know at all."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Doki said.

It took them more than an hour, but eventually they made it to the cafeteria without getting caught.

"Let's get in there," Flame said. "Four routes go by this room, but none actually go inside."

They all shuffled in and huddled against one of the inner walls. It would've been impossible to see them from the outside.

"If there are so many Watchers here, why did you want to come here so badly?" Doki asked.

"Well, that all has to do with my plan." Flame looked to the doors in the back of the room that led into the kitchens. "We're going in there."

For a moment, Doki was completely silent. "No," was the only word she managed to get out.

Jay shared her hesitation. "Flame, why? That just seems…stupid. I mean, the kitchens…we don't even know what goes on in there."

"The kitchens?" Blizz asked. "Sounds like my kind of place."

"You'd feel differently if you knew what was inside." Doki shuddered. "I've only been there once. I'm never going back. _Never._ "

"Wait for us here, if you want," Flame said. "But us three are going inside."

"Uh…we are?" Jay asked.

"Yep."

"Why do you even _want_ to?" Doki demanded. "There's nothing for you in there."

Flame scowled. "It's not that I want to. If it was just me here, I wouldn't even dream of going in. But Jay and I were arguing earlier, and…I think I want him to see what's in there. He's gonna be a Warden, right? I don't know as much about the Lab as you guys, but I know that only Wardens can send pokémon in there, and only with the High Warden's permission. And I know that whatever they do in there is terrible. Seeing those things might change a few of Jay's opinions."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Doki said, "but there are better ways to solve an argument than killing yourselves. Nobody who goes into the kitchens ever comes out."

"Nobody except us," Blizz said.

Before Doki could reply, Flame said, "Those Rangers went in earlier. The charmander and servine."

"That was different." Doki looked away. "Don't ask me why. I don't know. I really don't know why they went in there."

"Let's go find out." Flame stepped toward the doors.

"No," Doki said. "If you try to go in there, I'll tell the High Warden. I swear I will."

Jay knew that it was time for him to talk. He also knew that whatever he said would determine the fate of this night…and perhaps the fate of all of their lives'.

"Flame is right, Doki," he heard himself say. "You don't need to go in, but I do. If I'm gonna be the High Warden someday, if I'm gonna send pokémon in there, then I need to know what I'm doing to them."

"The High Warden will tell you when he decides you're ready."

"We don't have time for that," Flame said. "Not while Night and Sky could be dying."

"We're going, Doki," Jay said. "I'm not asking you to come, but please…don't tell on us. We're going in no matter what. The only thing you'll do is _make sure_ we'll die."

Doki opened her mouth…and then closed it again. She nodded. "You're sure you know what you're doing?"

"No," Jay admitted.

She frowned. "Well…all right." After that she was quiet for a very long time. Then she said, "I'm coming too, Jay."

He really hadn't been expecting to hear that. "You are?"

"It's like I said. I can't leave you here to die. If there's anything I can do to help, I'll do it."

Flame smiled at her. "Aww, that's great, Doki. You get to be our honorary brother while Night and Sky and Bolt are gone. Don't worry, that doesn't mean Jay is off limits. There's definitely precedent for that sort of thing. We have a strange family, you see."

Jay had no idea what he meant by that, but Doki glared at Flame. "If we're going, let's go."

"Yeah," Blizz said. "I'm gettin' tired of just sitting here. At least it'll be exciting in there."

"I guess I'll lead the way," Jay said. He took a step forward.

Then he heard a fifth pokémon approaching from outside.

Everyone exchanged glances with wide eyes. Jay's mind began to race with unpleasant scenarios. _It's a Watcher. They were following us this whole time and they heard everything._ There was no time to run. They wouldn't even be able to get to the door to the kitchens before the newcomer came in and saw them. The four of them were trapped. Jay exchanged a worried glance with Doki.

The pokémon stepped into the room. It was a manectric with a black scarf draped around its neck.

"Aidren?" Jay said. If anything, that was even worse than a Watcher. The manectric was a _Warden._

But Aidren did not look angry, or even suspicious. "Hey, kid. Hope you don't mind, but I got one of my Stewards to follow you around."

Jay blinked. "What? Why?"

Aidren looked around the cafeteria. "Well, I guess it should've been because I saw this coming, huh? You're really planning to go into the kitchens."

Jay's blood ran cold. He had been holding on to a distant hope that they could get out of this with a clever lie, but it seemed that the Warden of the Dreamers was too smart for that.

Aidren must have seen a frightened look on Jay's face, because he laughed. "Don't worry, kid. It's not my business. I was never here. But before you kill yourselves, I think you should know. I found your brother. Thought you'd like to come and say hello."


	17. The Kitchens, Part 2

**The Kitchens, Part 2**

 **Bolt**

He dreamt the same dream every night.

Well, not really. The visions he saw were always different. But they _felt_ the same. There were always three, and he always started in the same place: the sky.

Beneath him, the clouds stretched on forever. The fluffy whiteness spread from horizon to horizon, so thick that Bolt could not see the ground below. The sun peeked over the clouds, and the sky was pink and orange.

Bolt passed in and out of lucidity constantly. He was only distantly aware that he was dreaming. There were more important things to focus on. Like flying, for instance.

His feathery white wings sprouted out of the back of his spine. They didn't feel unnatural. It was as easy to move them as it was to move his paw. He stretched his wings out and allowed himself to glide along an oncoming burst of wind. Bolt smiled as the air rushed through his fur. It was hard to say how long he had been flying. Time passed very strangely here. But that didn't matter. Flying was so much fun that he didn't care about anything else.

He turned his head downward to watch the clouds, which constantly shifted and changed shape, but never opened up to show whatever was hidden beneath. They looked so soft and puffy that Bolt wanted to soar down and touch them. No, it wasn't just a simple _want_ ; that was too soft of a word to describe what Bolt felt. He _needed_ to touch those clouds. The compulsion was like a violent storm with gusts pointed downward. If Bolt didn't touch those clouds very soon, something terrible would happen.

Well, that was no problem. Grinning, Bolt changed his trajectory and shot down toward the white sky floor. The wind was incredibly loud in his ears, but there was no time to worry about that. The clouds grew closer and closer. As he approached, Bolt leveled himself out so that he flew parallel to the mist. Then, after taking a moment to relish what was about to happen, he dipped his front right paw into the clouds.

Pain.

Bolt withdrew his paw, hissing. He flapped his wings wildly, desperate to get away. As he rose, he put his paw up to his face. Most of the fur was gone and so was much of the flesh. Blood dripped down his front leg and fell to the clouds below. The wound still burned. It was as though he had not dipped his paw into mist, but into a vat of potent acid.

He looked below and found that the part of the cloud he had touched was no longer white. No, now it was a deep gray, so dark it was almost black. The gray began to spread rapidly, infecting the whiteness around it. A second later, several yards had turned to gray. Another second, and the ominous color had covered a mile of cloud. Three more seconds, and every single cloud in the sky had turned thunderous. And as the colors changed, so did the rest of the sky. The sun crept down below the horizon, as if trying to flee. The sky darkened and turned to brownish red, the color of dried blood.

All of this happened in the space of ten short seconds. Bolt—who, although he did not currently know it, went through this exact same dream every single night—was terrified. He whipped his head from side to side, desperately searching for safety.

Holes in the clouds began to open up, revealing the ground below. Bolt soared past them at a breakneck pace and the things he saw were impossibly far away, but he saw every vision perfectly. Through one of the holes, a black-and-blue figure wallowed in a glimmering pool of red. Through another, a riolu coaxed an eevee out of its hiding place, only to twist the other's neck as soon as it was out. Through yet another, a divine pokémon mourned for the loss of her brother. Through a fourth, he saw a scene similar to the third, except that both figures were very familiar.

He passed over a thousand more visions as he rocketed through the air. He saw every single one, but had no time to think about any of them. _I'm supposed to do something here_ , Bolt thought. _But what?_

Just then, a streak of lightning shot out of a cloud and slammed directly into Bolt. He screamed in shock and pain. Suddenly he was falling. Bolt screamed again, then began to flap his wings furiously. It did no good. He looked up and screamed a third time. His wings had been stripped of their feathers and flesh. Nothing remained but long, thin bones.

He tumbled downward, directly toward the storm clouds. _One of the holes_ , Bolt thought through his panic. _Have to land in one of the holes_. He remembered how badly it had hurt to touch the clouds. He didn't want to land inside of one.

There were a dozen holes around him. In ten seconds, he would hit the clouds. _Need to choose quickly_. He looked all around. Through each of the holes, he sensed something. One vision gave off a feeling of intense loneliness. Another spoke of powerlessness. Three reeked of fear. Through the sixth hole, Bolt felt a strong sense of unity and brotherhood.

 _There_ , he thought. He willed himself toward that vision, and his momentum changed as if by magic. Bolt flipped through the air several times. He missed the clouds completely and fell straight into the portal to the vision.

His surroundings changed. The gray stone ground was hundreds of yards below, and there was nothing but darkness to his sides. He fell, but he was not afraid. The moment that he passed into this vision, he became fully aware that he was dreaming. _This is the first_ , he knew. He would only wake once he had seen three visions.

The wind whistled in his ears as he sped toward the ground. As he neared it, his descent started to slow. He landed gently on the stones. His lucidity fled him all over again, and suddenly he did not know where he was.

The shadows which surrounded him twisted and took shape. Thick rock walls appeared to his left and right. The darkness remained overhead; the ceiling—if there even was a ceiling—was too high to see. And all around him, Bolt felt that same sense of unity that he had felt in the sky (though at the moment, he could not remember flown through the sky).

He turned his head in all directions, but he saw nothing but stone and darkness. There was nothing else. Nothing tangible, anyway.

"Hello?" he called nervously. "Is anyone there?"

There was no answer. Yet Bolt could feel them. There were a dozen or so others with him, though he could not see them. He did not seem able to speak to them or contact them in any way. But they were there, and that was enough. The doppelgangers filled Bolt with an absurd amount of confidence.

He felt the strange forces beginning to retreat down the long, dark hallway. Bolt had no choice but to follow; they were taking the feeling of unity with them.

This place was so dark that Bolt could hardly see the ground five feet in front of him. That didn't matter. As long as he was with his ghost friends, he was safe. It was hard to say how long they walked. As in all dreams, time passed strangely. Once, they passed a window fifty feet above the ground. Outside, the night was black and starless.

Hours—or maybe just minutes—later, they reached the end of the passage. Nothing awaited them but a gray wall. Bolt frowned, then stepped forward to scratch at the wall. His claws bounced off of the rock. Nothing happened. Why had the ghosts led him to a dead end?

Bolt looked up. His eyes focused on something thirty feet in the air. It was obscured by the darkness, but after a few seconds Bolt was able to make it out as a shelf. And on that shelf was a strange object. It was hard to tell exactly what it was. Bolt thought that it might have been some sort of idol. It lit up in three places. Red, blue, and yellow light formed a triangle in the center of the object. The lights constantly moved along the perimeter of the triangle. First red was on top, and now yellow, and now blue, and now red again.

He had no time to ponder the idol, for the wall began to lurch and shudder violently. Bolt backed away. He was not afraid, though. The ghosts had filled him with bravery.

The shelf exploded into a hundred splintery pieces and the idol was propelled into the darkness above. It did not come back down. A stone fell away from the wall. White mist burst into the hallway from the hole it left behind. Another stone fell, and with it came another spray of mist. Now all of the stones were falling away, one after another. Only the ones at the edges of the wall remained. They left behind a pointed archway leading into a room filled to the brim with thick, cloudy mist. Bolt was reminded of Box Seven back home.

He _was_ afraid now. He distantly remembered touching that cloud in the sky, and how badly it had burned him. Was this mist made from the same substance? Did he dare to enter this new room? The idea of simply reaching a paw into the cloud did not come to him. He felt that his only options were to remain here or sprint into the archway.

One of the ghosts left the others and approached the mist. Bolt could sense it considering its options. Then it stepped into the archway and disappeared. It took some of the group's unity with it. The rest began to follow. One after another, the ghosts departed from Bolt and stepped into the mist.

 _I need to go too,_ Bolt knew. _Before they all leave_. That feeling of togetherness was fading quickly. He didn't know if he would have the courage to go on if he found himself alone.

Bolt braced himself, then ran into the doorway.

The mist clung to his fur and made it wet, but it did not burn him. He continued to run. He never hit a wall. The whiteness seemed to stretch on forever. All of his invisible friends had vanished. There was nothing to look at. He carried on, trying not to think about them.

Then he took another step and the ground was not there. His leg slipped into nothingness. He let out a short, sharp scream as he tried to pull his paw away and scramble backwards. But his momentum was too great, and he could not stop himself from falling forward into a pit he knew was endless. Even as he fell, the white mist swirled and danced around him.

And then his lucidity returned, slapping the fear away. _Only a dream_ , he thought. Yes, now he remembered. The mist always acted as a transition between visions. He had just finished the first. There were still two more to experience.

He fell for another thirty seconds or so, and then the mist opened up to let him free. This time, the ground below was made from brick and mortar. He was not afraid to land. Bolt almost always kept his lucidity in the second vision, though he would probably lose it for the third.

As in the last dream, his descent slowed as he neared the ground, and he landed gently on his feet. The bricks were red and rough. Again, the shadows changed shape. They formed walls and doors and platforms. Everything was a dull red, and everything save the doors were made from brick.

Thankfully, Bolt had indeed retained his lucidity. That was mostly, but not entirely, good. As his time in the sky had proved, he could feel pain in these dreams—dull, muddled pain, yes, but still pain. Lucidity helped him to stay alert and avoid that pain, but sometimes it could also be detrimental. Dream logic was not the same as real-life logic, after all. Your dream-self sometimes inherently knew things about the dream world that your actual self did not.

Bolt studied his surroundings. The square room was large. The architecture here did not make a lot of sense. In fact, much of it was downright impossible. Red brick platforms floated in the air with nothing to support them. Some of them were clustered together to form spiral staircases that led to a door on the ceiling. Others were alone, some high, some low. There were an absurd number of doors. Seven on the left wall. Three on the right. Four on the ceiling and the other two walls. At least ten on the floor. They were not placed in any logical way. It was as though some giant had thrown a handful of doors into this room and allowed them to stay wherever they stuck.

Bolt sighed. _A maze. Great_. He remembered going through a few visions like this before. It always took him several hours to find the white mist that would lead to the next dream. But that mist _would_ be behind one of these doors. It always was. There was nothing to do but start searching.

He walked over to one of the walls and approached the nearest door. It swung open automatically as he grew near. There was nothing behind the door. Just more brick wall. Bolt sighed again. _Of course._

He made his way to the next door. Thankfully, this one led into another room. It was nearly identical to the first. Some of the platforms were in different positions, and there were only half as many doors built into the floor, but aside from that the two rooms were pretty much the same. _This is gonna take a while_ , Bolt thought.

He went through another door, then another, then another, then another. He came to identical room after identical room. Then he climbed up one of the makeshift spiral staircases to enter one of the doors on the ceiling. That didn't lead anywhere interesting either. Unfortunately, time passed perfectly normally when you were lucid. He must have passed through a hundred rooms, and the seconds were crawling by at a snail's pace.

Bolt did not slow his search, though. These maze dreams were always long and tedious, but he wouldn't move on by sitting around doing nothing. The mist had to be around here somewhere.

He went through another door. This room was different. Well, it was actually identical to the others. But the beast lounging on one of the platforms certainly stood out. It was no pokémon that Bolt had ever seen before. It had a shape that was vaguely feline. Its body, five times the size of Bolt's, was covered in orange and black fur. Bolt stared at it ponderously. Then the beast's head snapped over and locked eyes with Bolt. It bared long, vicious fangs. And it rose.

Bolt backed away, never taking his eyes off of the beast. "I…I don't want to fight," he tried to tell it.

The orange and black beast growled in response. It leapt off of the platform and charged as soon as it landed.

Bolt's claws scattered against bricks as he hurried to get away. The beast was fast but Bolt did not need to go far. He threw himself back through the doorway that he had just come in from. Blessedly, the door slammed shut as soon as he went through. Bolt heard the beast slam into the door, heard it snarling, heard its claws and teeth raking and pounding against the door, but somehow the thin red door did not budge an inch. Bolt willed it to stay shut, and so it did. He backed several steps away. He could hear his heart beating in his chest. _What would've happened if it got me?_ Bolt had never died in a vision before. _I'd better get out of here before that thing finds me again._

He turned around to face the rest of the room. Every single door was now open, and every one led into a room filled with white mist.

That was strange, but not unwelcome. He had never had one of these maze dreams end like this before. He wasn't complaining, though Bolt supposed that seeing the beast had triggered the end of the dream. The beast was still pacing on the other side of the door. Bolt quickly walked to one of the open doorways on the floor and jumped into the hole without hesitation.

Again, he fell. The second vision was ending. That was just fine with Bolt. He wanted to wake up soon.

The mists seemed to hear his will, and they parted. But this time there was no ground for Bolt to land on. The last of the whiteness dissipated, and after that he was completely surrounded by darkness. He stopped falling and simply began to float.

Bolt knew at once that something was wrong. This couldn't be the third vision, could it? He had never had a dream like this before. There was always _something_ to look at. There was always ground to walk on. There were always things to touch. And besides, he was still lucid. If this was truly the third vision, then shouldn't he have forgotten that he was, in truth, asleep in the Ward of the Dreamers right now?

 _Maybe I did something wrong_ , Bolt thought, trying not to panic. _Maybe I went through the wrong door and now I'm just stuck here._

 _There is no reason to be afraid, child,_ something said. The voice was floaty and majestic, and it was also terribly vague, as though it lacked shape and volume. The words seemed to come from the world itself.

"Who are you?" Bolt said aloud. He tried looking around, and found nothing but darkness. "Where am I?"

A third voice spoke up. _Another one of the Eight?_ This speaker sounded like the other, but the words were somehow clearer. It felt like it was much closer than the other one.

The world voice ignored the closer voice. _Your dream will continue. But for now, it has been put on hold. I am sorry if that is inconvenient to you, but your dreams leave me with so little time to speak to you._

 _Why won't you answer me?_ the closer voice said. It sounded like a whiny child. _Is he?_

"Who are you?" Bolt repeated. "And who is that other one?"

 _The other is only a shadow_ , the world voice said, and Bolt thought that he could detect sadness in its voice. _There is no reason to pay it any mind. And I am the one who will guide you from this place, if you will listen._

"What? What are you talking about?"

 _You must escape from this place, if this plan is to succeed._

"Escape?"

 _Yes. Are you willing to listen to me?_

"I…I think so."

 _Good. Try to remember this, for I will only say it once. You must trust the others. You must build trust between the others. Do not let this trust break, no matter the consequences. Do you understand?_

 _What does that mean?_ the closer voice asked. _Oh, can't you tell me?_

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bolt said.

 _That is fine. You will not remember this when you wake. I only need you to listen, so that this information enters your subconscious._

"Oh…"

 _Now I will send you on your way. Stay strong, Seer, and do not fall to the temptations of the other side._

Bolt opened his mouth to respond, but he had nothing else to say. The mists were gathering again. Swirling tendrils pulled him out of the black world and into the white one. And then he was falling, just as he was before. He was already forgetting about the two strange voices. In fact, he was starting to forget pretty much everything. His lucidity started to leave him as he entered the third and final vision.

The mists dissolved away into nothingness and revealed a grassy field far below. Bolt touched down onto the ground. Far away, the shadows twisted and writhed and turned to trees. Above, the darkness changed to show a blue sky and a bright noon sun. Clouds drifted overhead.

 _I know this place_ , Bolt thought. He had spent hours and hours in this clearing. Of course, that was before Mother sold them to the Lab. The Lab? Right now, that place was nothing but a distant memory.

Something about the clearing seemed wrong. What was it? _The tree_. The lone oak that marked the center of the clearing was not there. Where had it gone?

A few more shadows, which Bolt had not noticed before, began to take on new forms. They stretched and grew and gained color. Bolt recognized each of them.

He gasped. "You guys!" In his current state of mind, Bolt did not even consider that the twins were just figments of his imagination. "I haven't seen you in so long!"

Blizz laughed and said, "It hasn't been that long."

"Not that long," Night agreed, then sighed. "But still too long."

"Don't worry," Jay said, "We're coming to get you." And Sky fixed Bolt with a small smile, the way he always did.

Bolt didn't pay much attention to those four. It was his twin who he really wanted to see. Flame grinned in that cocky way of his and trotted over.

"Are we gonna go play?" Jay asked.

"Sure we are," Blizz said. "Bolt, you coming?"

Bolt nodded, still looking at Flame.

Flame laughed. "You're creeping me out, Bolt. If you want a staring contest, try Jay." And Flame began to laugh even more, and the other twins began to laugh as well, and Bolt was laughing too, even though nobody has said anything funny. Then Flame's right eye exploded. Blood spurted out of his head and sprayed over Bolt. He staggered backward, terrified, but Flame did not seem to notice anything wrong. "Huh? Bolt, is something wrong?" Something brown poked out of the socket where his eye had been. It grew longer and longer and it started to grow leaves, and Bolt realized that it was a branch from the lone oak. "Bolt?" Flame asked as the branch elongated. "What's wrong?" None of the other twins seemed to notice anything wrong, either. They were still laughing at nothing. And the branch continued to grow longer and thicker until it reached the point where it met the trunk. Bolt realized with horror that it was not finished. The rest of the tree wanted to escape Flame's body as well. The oak struggled for a while, and it actually seemed to be writhing and wriggling. Then the right half of Flame's head exploded, just as his eye had, and blood and bones and brains were sent flying through the air. Bolt was rooted to his spot, unable to move. And still his twin did not understand that he had died. "Why are you looking at me like that, Bolt?" he asked with half of a mouth. The weight of the tree became too much, and Flame toppled over and fell onto his side. "Bolt?" Flame asked, again and again. "Bolt? Bolt? Bolt? Bolt? Bolt? Bolt? _Bolt?_ "

Bolt opened his eyes. The light of the real world was blinding, but he was grateful for it. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and yawned.

"Cousin?" came Volt's voice to his right. "You are waking, yes?"

"I'm up," Bolt grumbled sleepily. Like always, his visions had ended abruptly. They were already beginning to leave his memory. _Aidren better get here soon if he wants to hear what I saw._ He didn't look at the jolteon. It was best not to encourage his antics. When Volt got excited, he got loud, and getting loud could lead to a beating for both of them. Bolt had learned that on his very first night in the lab, when he had woken from his first set of visions screaming. The noise had woken the other half-dozen eevee and jolteon in the room, and the humans had not been happy to see that. That was how he had earned his first beating. There had been a few others since that one, but that first beating had been the worst.

The room that they were kept in was not large. It held a single long counter with a padded top, and that was where they slept. There were several machines behind that counter that lit up in two dozen places. Wires and needles, which came out of one of the machines, cut into Bolt's flesh. There were so many that, if he tried to run, he would only get tangled up and trip. He wouldn't run, though. He knew that he would die if he tried.

"You are being distressed, cousin?" Volt asked. He spoke in a very strange way, as if he did not quite have a grasp on the language that he was born with. His words were chosen slowly, carefully, and poorly.

Bolt sighed, then turned his head to face the jolteon. Volt's eyes were green and strangely bright. For some reason, the tips of spiky yellow ears had turned to blue.

"I'm fine," Bolt told him. "Just keep your voice down, okay?"

"What is life without noise, cousin?" Volt smiled as if he had just said something very wise.

"I'm serious," Bolt said. He looked around the dark room. All of the other Dreamers were still asleep. They slept two feet apart from one another. Volt was directly to his right. "And stop calling me your cousin."

"What else would I be calling my cousin, cousin?" Volt asked, sounding confused.

"You're not making any sense. Again." Bolt put his head down between his arms and tried to block out Volt's rambling. The jolteon either didn't notice or didn't care, because he kept talking.

After a few minutes of listening to Volt's nonsense, Bolt heard footsteps approaching from the hallway. He resisted the urge to groan. Approaching footsteps were never good in the Ward of the Dreamers. At the best times, they meant interrogation. At the worst times, they meant a beating.

Bolt hoped that it was Aidren. The Ward of the Dreamers could be mean if he wanted to, but he wouldn't ever hurt you. With him, all you ever had to worry about were scolds and lectures. No, it was the humans you had to look out for. The humans ordered beatings often and without mercy. Bolt found himself wondering if Volt's noise had attracted the attention of whatever was walking toward them. _Of course it did_ , he thought. Volt was behind every bit of trouble that this room got into. Aidren knew that, but the whole room always ended up getting punished anyways.

Actually, the Warden had been acting pretty strange lately. A few days ago, he had actually asked Bolt for his _name_. He had never heard Aidren ask anyone for their name before. Nobody in the Lab seemed to care who you were, unless you started to act up. But for some reason, Aidren had been very interested. In addition to the standard questions about his visions, the manectric had also asked Bolt about his former life, and about his family. At first, Bolt had been hesitant to talk about those things, but he had found that once he started, he couldn't stop. He had gone on for twenty minutes before Aidren told him he could stop.

No matter how strange he was being, though, Aidren was still a far better choice than the humans. So Bolt sat on his table and waited, hoping that the footsteps belonged to him.

And it was indeed Aidren who walked through the door. But he wasn't alone.

"There he is!" Flame said loudly. Bolt's heart leapt. Jay, Blizz, and a female eevee were there as well. For some reason, Jay was wearing a black hat, and Blizz looked very different. He was _thin_ now.

"Quiet," Aidren rasped, "all of you. The stupid jolteon is already loud enough to wake up this whole room, and I don't want a bunch of witnesses to what I'm about to do."

"There is not being a stupid jolteon in this room," Volt declared. "Hello, cousins."

The female eevee gasped. " _Volt?_ Is that you?"

"It is being me, cousin," Volt said, smiling.

" _That's_ your cousin?" Jay asked, and the girl nodded.

"Uh…what's going on?" Bolt asked. His heart was beating fast from this reunion, but he wasn't sure what to make of it all.

"We'll explain on the way to the cafeteria," Flame said.

"The cafeteria?" Bolt asked.

"You're really going to bring him there?" the girl asked.

"Of course!" Flame said. "We can't do it without good ol' Bolt. He's like Night when we don't have Night."

Bolt frowned at the fact that nobody was answering his questions. Aidren stepped over and whispered. "The High Warden's apprentice wants you to go with him. Be back before morning. If you're not here when the humans come to do their rounds, I won't cover for you."

"What?" Bolt asked. "I don't…"

"Flame _already said_ we'd tell you later," Blizz said. "Let's just get going."

" _Where_ are we going?" Bolt asked incredulously.

"The kitchens," Jay said.

Bolt had heard Aidren threaten to send somebody to the kitchens, once. He didn't actually know what the kitchens were, but he assumed that they were unpleasant. "Why would we want to go there?"

"No time for questions," Flame said. "Get those wires out of you and let's go."

"This is being dangerous, cousins," Volt said. "You must be taking me too."

" _No!_ " the girl said. "That's too dangerous for you. I'm barely letting Jay go. Besides, Aidren only agreed to let us take Bolt." She looked to the manectric for support.

Aidren snorted. "Nah, take the jolteon. Then I'll at least be rid of him if you all get yourselves killed."

The girl frowned, but Jay said, "He's been here for a long time, hasn't he? I think we should let him come, Doki."

And then something incredible happened: nobody protested. The girl named Doki looked distressed, but did not argue. Aidren nodded. Even Flame had nothing to say. It seemed that all of them took Jay's word as the final say on the issue. _Well_ , Bolt thought, _that's new_.

Aidren helped Bolt and Volt out of the wires, careful not to wake any of the others. Then the eevee and jolteon jumped off of the table, landing lightly on the floor.

"Be back soon," Aidren told them.

"We will be," Jay said. "All right, everyone. Let's go."

Bolt followed the others down the dark hallway. He felt a deep, nauseating sense of nervousness. He had never left the Ward of the Dreamers before. _This is a bad idea_ , he thought.

They didn't get caught, though. Flame and Doki seemed to know where they were going. Jay whispered some things to Bolt. He told him how he had gained the affection of the High Warden, and how Flame was a Watcher, and how he had met Doki, and why they were going to the kitchens. Aside from that, everyone was very quiet. Even Volt said nothing, though he looked like he really wanted to.

Some time later, they came to an open doorway that led into a room that Jay called the cafeteria.

"Is everyone ready?" Jay asked. "If anyone doesn't want to come with me, you don't have to. You can stay in this room and wait for the rest of us to get back."

"No way," Blizz said. "I'm not letting my twin go in there alone."

"This was my idea," Flame said. "I'm not backing down now."

Volt said, "I will be helping you, cousin Warden!"

Bolt remembered something like this from one of his dreams. _If they all speak up before me, I might lose my courage_. "I'm going," he said quickly.

They all looked at Doki. She said, "I still think this is stupid. But if you're really doing this, I'm in." She looked at Jay in the same way that Bolt had often seen Sky look at Night. Jay seemed oblivious.

 _What happened to him while I was gone?_ Bolt wondered. Before, Jay had seemed so small, and so young. He had always acted far younger than any of the other twins, even though he was the same age as Blizz. _Or maybe we only treated him that way_. Jay was a runt, after all. It was hard to pretend otherwise. _He acted like a kit because we told him he was a kit_. But now he had been told that he was large and important, and it seemed that his personality had changed to match his new expectations. Now everyone looked at him the same way that everyone had once looked at Night.

"All right," Jay said, "Let's do this." Together, they all walked up to the doors that supposedly led into the kitchens.

"I'll lead," Flame said. "I'm a Watcher, after all."

Jay nodded. "Doki, you've been there before, right?" When Doki confirmed that she had, he said, "Stay with Flame, then. You're the only one who knows anything about that place. You two can be our navigators. I'll stay right behind you."

"I'm staying by your side," Blizz said.

"Right. Come on, then."

Flame and Doki pushed through the doors and stepped into the room beyond. Jay and Blizz followed closely behind. The doors swung as they went through. Now only Bolt and Volt remained in the cafeteria.

"Let's be going, cousin!" Volt said, and followed the others.

Bolt looked around the room, took a deep breath, and then he entered the kitchens as well.


	18. The Kitchens, Part 3

**The Kitchens, Part 3**

 **Jay**

 _Six_ , Jay thought. _There are six of us, just like there used to be_. But it wasn't _actually_ like it used to be. Night and Sky were still missing, and nothing would change that. He liked Doki, but she wasn't his brother, and he had only just met Volt.

The hallway was thin, perhaps three feet across. The floors and walls and ceiling were made from clean white tiles the size of Jay's paw. The passage went on for twenty feet before coming to a jagged fork. There were two ways to go: left and right. The lighting was quite good in this first hallway, but he could see that both of their next two choices led to darkness.

Jay measured this place up as Bolt and Volt came through the doors behind him.

Bolt shuddered. "I can already tell we're not gonna like this place."

"You haven't seen anything yet," Doki said.

"Are there any Watchers in the kitchens?" Jay asked.

Flame answered. "None that I know of. Could be other guards, though."

"If there _are_ being, we will be conking their heads," Volt said confidently.

Blizz laughed. "I like this guy."

It only took them a few seconds to reach the fork. Jay considered each of the branching paths. The way to the left was very short, leading to a large set of doors with silver handles. A gray chain, held in place by a rusty padlock, wove through the handles, locking the doors shut. The hallway to the right was much longer. Jay could see about thirty feet down the path, and then the white tiles stretched into darkness. A strange noise blew in from that darkness. _Only a gust of wind_ , Jay told himself, but he shuddered anyway.

"The kitchens are to the right," Doki said, confirming Jay's hunch. "Well, actually, the _real_ kitchens are through that door there." She gestured to the left. "That's where they make the food for the cafeteria. That's why we call this place 'the kitchens' in the first place. But the bad stuff happens over there to the right."

"Think we could break through those doors?" Blizz asked. "There's probably all sorts of food in there. I could go for a snack."

Flame rolled his eyes. "Losing weight didn't make you any less of a glutton, did it?"

"How would we even get in?" Bolt asked.

"I dunno," Blizz said. "I might be strong enough to split that chain in half. Or maybe I could knock one of the doors down. Want me to try?"

"Why? So we can leave a mess for the humans to find in the morning?" Flame said. He shook his head. "I dunno about you, but I don't want anyone knowing we were here. We're gonna leave everything the way we find it. And we're gonna be _quiet_." He looked over at Doki. "I can't remember. Do you know what Watchers can do? You seem to know every other blasted thing that goes on in the Lab."

She shook her head. "The High Warden doesn't even know. I don't think most humans do, either. It's a secret reserved for the really powerful humans and the Watchers themselves. I don't know why."

"Well, I do," Flame said. "And you're about to learn, too. We can't navigate this place together if you don't know _how_ I do what I do."

Doki's eyes widened. "If someone find out you told us, they'll kill all six of us."

"We're about to take a stroll through one of the most restricted areas in the Lab," Flame impatiently reminded her. "I figured we were past the point of worrying about punishment." He chewed on his tongue for a moment. "Look, I don't have to show the other four. It'll just be me and you at the front, so only you and me need to know. Less likely for someone to accidentally spill the beans that way."

Doki still looked unsure. Jay squeezed through the crowded hallway to reach her. "Trust him," he told her. "I mean, I don't know what he's gonna do either, but I _do_ know that he wouldn't suggest this if it weren't smart." He gave her a smile. He meant for it to be reassuring, but in truth he was just as nervous as the others must have been, so it came out weak and shaky.

Nevertheless, when Doki met his gaze, he saw something in her eyes change. There was now resolve where moments ago there had been fear. She nodded. "All right. If you think it's for the best."

Flame took a few steps forward. "You four stay here. We'll be back in a few minutes." He began to walk, and Doki followed. With every step, the darkness swallowed them a little more. Before long, Jay was not able to see them at all.

They were not back in a few minutes. The silence wore on for an uncomfortably long time. Jay began to grow nervous. Blizz sat down next to him. Bolt paced back and forth across the short hallway. Volt was being Volt.

"Where are they?" Bolt said in a shaky voice. By then, fifteen minutes must have gone by. "You don't think they're in danger, do you?"

"I'm sure they are being fine, cousin," Volt said cheerfully.

"They are," Jay said, more confidently than he felt. "They're strong. Both of them, in their own ways. I _know_ they're fine."

And they were. It took the better part of thirty minutes, but in the end Flame and Doki returned from the shadows completely unscathed.

"What took you guys so long?" Blizz said.

"Do you know how worried I was?" Bolt cried, and ran to embrace Flame.

Flame tolerated his twin's affection for a few seconds, then batted him away. "We decided to go through each of the tiers, just to make sure nobody's here. Nobody is." His eyes were hollow. "Doki wasn't exaggerating about how bad things were. We saw some messed up stuff."

Bolt was not happy to hear that. "Well, I guess we're all about to," he said in a deflated voice.

Jay nodded. To Doki and Flame he said, "You can stay here if you want. You don't have to go back. I mean, it's all safe, right? Nobody here to catch us?"

Flame dismissed that. "Nah, I'll be fine. Maybe it won't be so bad the second time around. I'm used to it now, y'know?"

Doki agreed to come as well. "Follow me," she said. "I'll take you to each of the tiers."

"Tiers?" Jay asked. The six of them started to make their way further into the kitchens. The darkness grew and soon it was almost too thick to see through.

"There are ten," Doki explained. "They go around in long, ring-like hallways. The first tier is the biggest, and circles all of the others. The second tier is directly inside of the first, and circles the third through tenth. And so on. This hallway here makes a straight line to the center of the kitchens. Doorways at the sides will lead us to each tier."

It took them less than a minute to reach the first tier. As Doki had said, two open doorways to the left and right led off into new rooms. Between them, a large, thin metal pole had been erected. A strip of black cloth hung from the top of the pole.

"The holding cells," Doki announced. "We'll need to be quiet. There _are_ pokémon in there. They're prisoners, but who knows if they'll tattle on us. Better not to wake them."

They entered through the door to the right. The inside of the room was lighter than the hallway had been. Jay did not understand why; there didn't seem to be any light source in the room. There were electric bulbs in the ceiling, but they were not turned on. It was strange, but Jay appreciated the extra light. It allowed him to see his surroundings. The floor and walls were as white as ever, but they were covered by a layer of filth. It seemed as though this place had never been cleaned. The smell was atrocious. Cages lined the walls, like they did in the Wards of the Breeders and Fighters. There were hundreds of them, but every single one was empty. Ahead, the room curved off to the left, beginning the loop which would lead to the other door in the hallway. The floor was gouged in a hundred places. Perhaps that was due to the struggling of countless pokémon over the years. Jay shuddered. Everyone else seemed equally nervous, even Volt.

"We'll have a quick look, but we shouldn't be here long," Doki whispered. "All of the prisoners should be asleep in cages near the back of the ring. Let's not go back there."

Jay stepped further into the room, looking around. Bolt went over and inspected some of the cages. Flame and Doki stayed near the door. Blizz stayed near Jay and Volt stayed near Bolt.

"What's this?" Bolt asked quietly. He pawed at a strip of cloth attached to one of the cage doors. It was green.

"A marker," Doki explained. "I guess a pokémon used to stay in that cage. The humans put different colors of cloth on each one to determine which tier that pokémon will be sent to. Some pokémon, like those poor kits that the High Warden rejected, won't ever get sent anywhere. They'll just stay here until they die." She spoke the words bitterly. "Nobody seems to care what happens to them as long as the secrets they learned remain secret. If anyone finds out that Flame showed me what Watchers can do, I'll probably get sent here, too. Or maybe I'll just get killed."

"You worry too much," Flame told her.

Doki did not respond. There wasn't much to look at, and before long Jay was ready to leave. "You sure we shouldn't go back there?" he asked, looking over at the rest of the room.

"The prisoners are in bad shape," Flame said. "They all wear muzzles and some of them have pretty nasty wounds. That's it, though. It's not too different than something you might see in the normal Lab. Things only really start getting bad in the second tier."

They exited the room and started back down the hallway. They encountered the second pole in almost no time at all. It seemed that the kitchens were not particularly large. The strip of cloth on this pole was green. It was the exact same shade as the marker that Bolt had found.

"The second tier," Jay said, and Doki nodded.

"You're sure you want to go through with this?" she asked. "We can always turn back."

"No. I need to see." He knew why Flame was insisting that he visit this place. His brother undoubtedly hoped that whatever they saw would disgust Jay so much that he would no longer want to live here. And maybe it would. But he couldn't tell Doki that, and he wasn't sure he trusted Volt to keep that secret, either. "I just need to."

Again, they entered through the door on the right. The room was as clean and white as he had come to expect from the Lab. The entire place had the abstract atmosphere of science and medicine. It was not dissimilar to the room in the Ward of the Halfmen where he took his serum. Tables went along the ring-room in neat rows. The smell here was even worse than the smell in the first tier. It didn't take him long to find out why. Here, in the second tier, they encountered the first corpse.

Rather, they encountered half of a corpse. The sylveon lay on one of the white tables. Its front paws were chained to one end of the white tabletop. The eyes were open. They seemed to stare at Jay. He thought that the sylveon was female, but there was really no way to be sure; the corpse had been cut in two—with surgical precision—at the hind legs. Dry entrails spilled out onto the table and there was a copious amount of crusty, brown-red blood as well. The lower end of the body was nowhere to be seen.

Bolt retched. Jay's own stomach turned. He was almost surprised to see genuine anger and disgust on Volt's face.

"Told you," Flame grumbled. His eyes did not come up from the floor.

"Why would they do this?" Jay asked.

Doki frowned as she answered. "She was probably a Breeder who refused to cooperate. They usually get sent here. I think…" She swallowed. "I think their logic is…if they won't use their bodies to help the humans, then they don't deserve to keep their bodies."

"Sort of seems like overkill," Blizz said. He stared long and hard at the dead sylveon.

"Yes," Doki said, and after that they were all silent.

Minutes passed. For some reason, Jay couldn't tear his eyes away from the corpse. Then there was a small noise that came from somewhere far away, and that broke him out of his stupor. "Come on," he said. "Let's get through this room."

The rest of the tables in the ring-room were empty and spotless. Somehow, that was more unsettling than if more had held corpses. It made Jay wonder if whoever was in charge here had simply grown too lazy to remove the sylveon before going home for the night, and had vowed to clean it up in the morning.

They rounded the circle and came out at the door opposite of the one they had entered. The pole's green cloth was dark and limp.

"It gets worse, doesn't it?" Bolt asked shakily.

Flame nodded solemnly. They moved on.

The third tier was marked by gray cloth. In the darkness, it almost looked black.

Inside, the hallway was completely empty. From wall to wall, there was nothing but tile.

"What's supposed to be here?" Jay asked.

"Keep going," Doki said. "You'll see."

Jay obeyed. Together, the six walked through the narrow corridor. The walls were incredibly smooth. Jay felt like he was headed toward death.

And he was, as it turned out, but not his own death. The hall opened up into a large square room. It was filled with trashcans and round tables large enough to sit ten humans at once. Jay knew at once that these tables were meant for eating, not vivisections. _This isn't so bad_ , he thought. Then he turned his head toward the inside wall and gasped. Cages were littered everywhere. They were pressed against the wall, stacked atop each other messily. There might have been as many as a hundred. Every single one contained a dead pokémon. They were in various states of decay. Some had only a few strips of flesh clinging to their bones. The cages were ridiculously small; the bars touched the corpses in all six directions. Every pokémon wore a tight muzzle.

Bolt closed his eyes and muttered something to himself. Blizz said, "The humans eat here, don't they?"

"Yes," Doki said, "they do."

"I am not knowing how they can be eating with this smell," Volt said.

"Wanna try to explain this one?" Bolt asked Doki, though his tone indicated that he didn't really want to know the context of all this.

Doki answered anyway. "I don't know _why_ pokémon get sent here, but I know how the punishment works. Once you go in one of those cages, you don't ever come out again. Not even when you die."

"Yeah, I think we all kinda figured that out for ourselves," Flame said, averting his eyes from the cages.

Doki ignored that. "They force a muzzle onto you and they lock you in a cage. And then you just stay there. They don't feed you. Part of the punishment is that you have to smell all of the food that the humans are eating."

"You know a lot about this place," Bolt noted.

Jay cocked his head. "I thought you said you were only in here once, Doki."

"It was a long visit," she said curtly. When nobody challenged her further, she said, "There's nothing else to see here. Let's move on."

They did. Shortly, they exited the third tier and proceeded down the hallway again. The fourth tier's doors were announced by a pole with a dead white flag. Inside of the room, Jay could hear machinery working.

"I don't want any surprises this time," Bolt said. "Flame, Doki, one of you just tell us what's inside."

"More torture," Flame said, "more death."

Doki's answer was more specific. "They don't use this tier very often, but it's just as bad as the last two. Maybe worse. You can hear those machines, right? They're used for interrogation. The humans just throw someone into one and let it run for a few hours. At the end, the victim will answer any question you give them. I've only heard of this room being used once, though. There used to be a thief in the Lab. They stole food from the kitchens every single night and redistributed it to other pokémon. None of the Watchers could catch them.

"One of the pokémon who got food from the thief was brought here. In the end, they gave the name. It turned out that the thief himself was a Watcher. Somehow, he was able to evade all of the other Watchers. Or maybe the other Watchers were helping him. I don't know. I can't remember. All I know is that the thief is dead now. They probably tossed him into the fifth tier." She paused. "Jay…don't you think you've seen enough? Now you know that they torture and kill pokémon in here. If we keep going, we'll just find more of the same. And the longer we stay here, the more likely it is that we'll get caught. It's a miracle that we haven't already. Besides, I _really_ don't want to see the fifth tier. I don't even want to pass it. It's worse than any of the ones we've seen so far." She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please, Jay, can't we turn back? You'll see the rest someday. When the High Warden decides that you're ready."

 _She's asking me for permission_ , Jay realized. She looked so sad and pathetic that he almost gave it to her. _No_ , he thought, _I have to keep going_. He looked at Flame, but Flame was just staring at the floor. _So much for getting used to it._ Bolt was not faring much better. Volt and Blizz also looked perfectly ready to leave. _They all want to leave. I'm the only one who feels strong enough to keep going._

He sighed. "All right. We'll leave. But first I want to find out what's in the center of this place." Jay thought for a moment. "And if the fifth tier is so bad, I need to see that too."

Doki was not happy with that, Jay sensed, but the other four perked up a bit. They hurried to the fifth tier, which was marked with red cloth.

Jay was the first through the door. The room was very warm. The floor was a thick metal grate that did not go all the way to the walls. There were no rails at the edges. Ten feet below, Jay could see water. "What's so bad about this place?" he asked Doki as she stepped up beside him.

"Dead things," she whispered, and looked down through the grate. Jay followed her gaze. That was when he noticed the things floating in the water. Corpses. Hundreds of them. Every one was bloated and still and rotten. The dirty, stagnant water waved over them and bobbed them around. The room was too dark and the water was too murky to see the bottom of the pool, but Jay had no doubt that bones were littered there.

"Once you fall in, there's no way out," Doki said. Jay looked around and saw that she was right. There were no ladders or ropes that could be used to climb out of the water. If you fell—or were pushed—over the edge, you would drown in corpse-riddled water. Jay shuddered. The danger of falling in felt very real, even though he stood in the center of the ten-foot-across walkway.

He would not go through this room, he decided. Jay turned back into the hallway, and Doki followed at his heels. The other four had not even stepped inside of the fifth tier.

"Okay," Jay said. "One more stop, and then we're done."

Jay refused to look through the doors of the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth tiers as he passed them. He was now as sick of morbidity as the others.

The long, straight hallway that ran through the kitchens ended with one final doorway. From the outside, Jay could see that the room was circular and fairly large. This tenth tier was not heralded by a strip of colored cloth. Instead, five portraits hung over the door. The one in the center showed a man with black hair and black eyes. Smiling women filled the two photographs to the left. The picture to the far right was of an elderly man. And the fifth showed Bald. He was in his human form.

Nobody commented on the portraits. Jay was unsure if anybody else had even noticed them. He stepped into the room.

He came in at the top of a set of three-step benches. They were made from cold marble. The benches went around the room, surrounding a small circle of white tile floor. In the very center of the room, an X-shaped cross had been erected from two wooden boards. It was occupied. The eevee's front legs had been broken so that they could reach the top of the posts, where they had been tied by rope. Its hind legs were also tied down, to the bottom of the boards. It was covered in all sorts of wounds. Fur had been torn away, and underneath Jay could see raw, red flesh. Blood pooled on the tiles underneath the cross. The eevee couldn't have been more than a year old.

The others crowded into the room around Jay. None of them spoke.

But somebody else did.

"You'll move again, won't you?" the familiar voice asked.

Jay had to resist the urge to cry out. His head whipped to the left side of the room, where Dane the servine sat on one of the lower benches. Dane stared at the dead eevee. He did not seem to have noticed the group. He was too intent on the cross. _We haven't spoken since the fifth tier_ , Jay thought. _He probably hasn't heard us._

Jay crept to the right and hid himself behind one of the other benches. He was more curious than afraid. Jay knew that, even if Dane _did_ turn his head and see them, the six of them could easily overpower him. Still, a fight could be dangerous. It would be better to avoid a confrontation, if possible.

Flame and Doki went to the right with Jay. Volt, Blizz, and Bolt ducked behind the benches to the left. Volt made a small amount of noise as he crept, but Dane did not notice. Jay dared to peek over the edge of the bench.

The servine stood. With slow, careful steps, he made his way to the center of the room. "No. You won't, will you?" Dane's voice was so soft that Jay could barely hear it. "That's a shame. I wasn't through with you yet." His body was half-soaked with blood. When he reached the eevee, he stretched his claws out and tore off a chunk of flesh, as easily as if it had been made of paper. Dane considered his prize for a moment, and then let it fall to the floor. "You were supposed to last a little longer. I guess it doesn't matter, now that Char's gone. I wanted to end it with fire. No matter how much you put them through, no matter broken they are, they always dance when you end it with fire." By the time he was finished speaking, his voice had grown to little more than a whisper.

After that, Dane just stood there for a very long time. His eyes never left the corpse.

 _We should go_ , Jay knew. He was unsure of how long Dane would stand there, transfixed.

Jay rose and hurried back into the hallway. The others quickly followed. When Jay looked back, Dane had not moved at all. _I guess Terrin was right about him_ , he thought.

They walked past the later tiers, past the lake of corpses, past the room with the whirring machinery, past all of the other horrors that the kitchens held. It didn't take long. The hallway was shorter than Jay remembered.

Nobody spoke until they returned to the fork at the very start of the kitchens. Then Flame said, "Well, Jay? Now how do you feel about this place? Still feel proud of the fact that you'll be running the Lab someday?"

Jay did not answer. It would take time to process the things that he had seen here. "Come on," he said. "We need to go."

They walked back through the double doors into the cafeteria. Everyone began to breathe more freely, but Jay knew that the danger wasn't over yet. They still had to return everyone to their Wards.

Bolt and Volt were dropped off first. Aidren was nowhere to be seen. Jay, Flame, Doki, and Blizz left the other two at the room where they did whatever it was that Dreamers did. Then they returned Blizz to the Ward of the Fighters. Doki got a confused-looking Steward to lock the door of the room with the cages.

After that, Jay grew far less nervous. Doki, Flame, and Jay were all perfectly allowed to roam the halls of the Lab at night.

They found their way to the trapdoor that led aboveground. Flame bid them farewell, then went off on his own.

Soon, they made it to the entrance of the High Warden's chambers, where they each had rooms to sleep in. Unfortunately, the High Warden was still awake. He appeared to have been waiting for them to return.

"Where have the two of you been?" he asked, reclining on his bed. "You two shouldn't be out so late. You each have duties to perform in the morning."

"I'm sorry, sir," Doki said. "We were, uh…well, it's personal."

"Personal?" The High Warden frowned. "So personal that you cannot tell—"

"It's _very_ personal, sir," Doki said, and appeared to grow flustered.

"Ah, I…I see. Very well. In the future, be more mindful of the time." With that, he dismissed them.

As he climbed into bed a few minutes later, Jay wondered if that was the first time that Doki had ever lied to the High Warden. She had always seemed loyal to him and the Lab, but after tonight, Jay wasn't so sure.

The rest of the week went by without incident. On Monday, Jay took his serum. Nobody spoke of missing Fighters or Dreamers. Dane acted as friendly as ever. It seemed that, somehow, the six of them had gotten away with everything.


	19. Oliver 6

**Oliver**

Oliver's front right leg—the one he had broken—was draped over Scull's back. Together, the two hobbled out of Agga's rocky cave. Their way was lit only by the moon; Box Seven's sky was as black as ever. Split walked along beside them. He stayed at Oliver's left side, ready to support him if he lost his balance.

"You ready?" Scull asked.

Oliver grit his teeth and nodded. With some effort, he pulled his leg off of Scull's back and then put it down on the ground. He put some of his weight on it. The leg was stiff and sore, but it did not hurt.

"It's better," he said, and sighed in relief. This was the third time that he had tried to walk on the broken leg. The first two times had not gone well. His first attempt ended in a mountain of pain and quite a few tears. Oliver had been more careful the second time, but the bone had still been unhealed, and it had still hurt a lot. Both attempts had ended in restless nights as the wounded leg screamed pain at him for trying too soon. But the leg did not protest now. More than three weeks had gone by since the fall, and it seemed that his confinement to Agga's bed was finally over. His bones had healed, his scrapes and gashes had closed, and Oliver could walk again.

"That's a relief," Scull said. "You sure you can walk all the way to the control room?"

"I'll try. You'll help if I have trouble, right?"

Scull nodded. "Just lean against me if your leg starts hurting."

"Oh! You can lean against me too, Oliver!" Split blurted out, smiling. In the darkness, his birthmarked face looked a little frightening. "You will, won't you? If you need to?"

"Uh…sure," Oliver said, and Split's smile widened. Oliver's health was not the only thing that had changed over the past few weeks; as the days wore on, Split had started acting differently toward Oliver. For some reason, he was nicer now, and he always wanted to talk with Oliver. He wasn't really acting like a friend, though. Split did not seem to consider himself equal enough to Oliver to truly be his friend. Rather, Split had begun to treat him as a superior. Whenever Oliver said something, Split readily agreed. If Split said something and then found that Oliver has a different point of view, his opinion would suddenly change. And when he looked at Oliver, Oliver saw something that might have been reverence in his eyes.

He wasn't sure how he felt about all of this. For his entire life, Split had never been anything to him but a bully. _Now he looks at me the same way he looks at Stan_ , Oliver thought.

They continued toward the control room. Soon, they came to the fields of mist which made up most of Box Seven. Oliver's leg didn't bother him much. He was grateful for that, since he didn't really feel like leaning into either of his companions.

"Will the others be in Box Two?" Oliver asked. "They don't come to see me as much as you do." It surprised him to realize how much he missed his friends.

"Well, you never really know with Skitty. But they should be. We're going out to train after I drop you off at my room." He looked over at Oliver and smiled. "It'll be nice to sleep in a real bed again, huh?"

"I don't want to sleep," Oliver said. "I'm going with you today. I need to train. I'm not letting this happen again."

Scull frowned, and he was quiet for a long time. Then he said, "You're sure you can handle it? With that leg of yours?"

Oliver nodded.

"Okay. Maybe you're right. I'll take you along today. But don't push yourself too hard, all right?"

"I won't," Oliver promised.

"Can I come too?" Split asked excitedly. The moon's light illuminated his face.

Scull flicked an eye over at Oliver, and he knew that Scull was going to leave that up to Oliver. _Do I want Split to come?_ he wondered. Truthfully, he wasn't sure. Split wasn't much of a friend, but at least his feelings toward Oliver had improved over the last three weeks. And it _would_ be nice to get close with someone outside of Scull's group.

Masked by the darkness, Oliver gave a tiny nod.

"Sure, Split, you can come," Scull said, and after that Split began to walk with a spring in his step.

They arrived at the control room some time later. Scull pushed a button on the wall panel, and then the flash of light carried them away from the dark world that was Box Seven.

When they materialized inside of Box Two, Oliver had to squeeze his eyes shut; after spending so long in the darkness, the sun was blinding. Split wasn't faring much better. Like Oliver, he had been confined to Agga's cave for the last three weeks. Neither of them had been permitted to leave the Box until now.

Scull, on the other hand, had only made daily visits, and he seemed to grow accustomed to the light almost immediately. "Come on," he said. "The others will probably be at home. Let's go find them."

Oliver had almost forgotten how small Box Two was. It only took them a few minutes to reach the red hotel. On the way there, they passed several other pokémon on the street. Some probably lived here, but most were visitors. The sun showed that it was around noon. Perhaps the visitors had scrounged up some coins from somewhere, and were here to trade them for lunch at the restaurants.

They stepped through the doors into the hotel lobby. Skitty, Kick, and Rush were indeed there. They were sitting at one of the round table in the center of the large room. Oliver still thought it was strange for them to be acting so human-like.

Skitty was not pleased to see Split. "What is _he_ doing here?"

Split recoiled and stepped backward. Scull said, "I told him he could come. He's Oliver's friend now, you know."

Skitty did not accept that. "Friends don't try to kill each other."

Oliver spoke up. "I want him here, Skitty."

" _Why?_ " she said, rounding on him. "Why would you want to be friends with someone like that?" Skitty looked to Kick and Rush for support.

Kick only shrugged, and Rush said, "Well, if Oliver likes him…"

Oliver didn't know if he _did_ like Split, but he didn't say so.

"It's time to go," Scull announced. "I'd rather not waste anymore daylight."

Skitty came along grudgingly, still glaring at Split. The other two were friendlier.

Together, Oliver, Split, Scull, Skitty, Kick, and Rush left the PC. They journeyed through the house, then went out into the backyard. Kick carried his bag of supplies. Split kept as far away from Skitty as possible.

"Where are we going today, Scull?" Rush asked.

Scull considered the question for a moment. "Forest's as good a place as any," he decided. "It's too late to go into town."

"I've never been to the forest without Stan," Split said. He sounded nervous.

Nobody else had any objections, though, so they started down the sidewalk. Scull, Rush, Skitty, and Kick had their usual conversations, and Split talked excitedly at Oliver, who mostly just nodded.

After half an hour of walking, they came to a fork. The sidewalk continued to the right. To the left, the ground began to slope upward, leading to the peak of a huge hill. The others didn't even look in that direction, but Oliver paused. "How come we never go that way?" he asked.

Scull looked back. "There's not much up there. Just hills and cliffs."

"There aren't any wild pokémon?"

"Well, there are a few. But they're too strong for beginners like you and Split. Some of them are even too strong for me. Best to stick to the forest."

Oliver continued to look up the hill. "I wanna go."

By then, everyone had stopped. They all looked at Oliver.

"Didn't you hear?" Skitty asked. "It's dangerous."

There were a thousand words he wanted to say to express _why_ , but with everyone staring at him, it was hard to summon the courage to say them. He had been put through plenty of dangerous situations recently, and most of them had ended poorly. Oliver wanted _practice_ , and he wanted to force himself to get that practice. "I know. I still want to go."

Scull still looked unsure. "The pokémon you meet up there will be way worse than Stan."

"That means that I'll be fine if I figure out how to stand up to them."

"He's got you there, Scull," Kick said, and Split started to patter on about how he was _sure_ Oliver was right. Skitty and Rush disagreed; they wanted to continue on to the forest, feeling that the cliffs were too dangerous for fighting novices.

After a bit more deliberation, it was decided that Scull would take Oliver up to the cliffs, but only for a short amount of time. Split, Kick, Rush, and Skitty went ahead to the forest. Split wanted to come with Oliver, but Scull disallowed it.

"If it's so dangerous, why aren't they coming to help?" Oliver asked.

"It's not dangerous for _me_ ," Scull said. "I can protect you if I need to."

The grass of the hills was slowly starting to wilt with the coming of winter. Yellow-green blades crunched underneath Oliver's feet as they walked. The ground sloped upward and showed no signs of leveling out. Trees were plentiful here, growing in clusters, and scraggly bushes covered the ground in messy clumps. The air was crisp and cold.

"I don't see any pokémon around here," Oliver said after a few minutes of walking. The hill was not particularly steep, but it was still exhausting to walk on.

"They hide well," Scull said. "And most of them live further up. We might have to get all the way up near the cliff's edge before we see anyone we can fight."

"The cliff's edge?"

Scull nodded. "This hill goes up for a long, long time. Then it just stops. There's nothing beyond the top but open air. Another reason why this place can be dangerous. You could fall off if you're not careful."

Oliver was not afraid. He had never been scared of heights. "Is the view good?"

"Very good."

"Maybe we could go see it before we turn back."

"Maybe," Scull said. "But remember that we're here for fighting practice, not good views."

"I know."

They continued up the hill. Gradually, the ground grew steeper. The further they went, the more nature seemed to take control. Trees became more plentiful, and the grass up here grew long and wild. Oliver looked back and saw that the houses and cars behind and below them now looked tiny. He scanned the sidewalk for his other friends, but couldn't find them.

"How much farther?" Oliver asked. He was starting to grow tired.

"Dunno. I don't come up here much. If I'm just looking for leisurely training, I usually head to the forest. If I want real battles, there's a cave a few miles away from here that I can go to. These hills are sort of pointless, as far as training goes." He looked over. "Why? Do you wanna go back?"

Oliver shook his head. "Just wondering."

Ten more minutes passed before anything exciting happened.

Oliver was just about to call off the trip when he heard the ground rumbling. He didn't have time to ask Scull what it was before something popped out of the dirt. Rather, _three_ things popped out of the dirt. They looked like tall brown heads.

"Dugtrio!" Scull cried.

The newcomers looked at Scull distastefully. The middle head, which was the tallest, said, "So we are." His voice was cold and formal. "You're treading above our den, spoiled one. Go around or turn back, unless you want trouble."

"Maybe trouble's what we're after," Scull said cockily.

The head on the left sighed. "You spoiled ones are all the same. We do not fight for sport. Turn back."

"They don't look too mean," Oliver said to Scull. Most of the wild pokémon he had faced thus far had not had any objections to battling. "Maybe we should find someone else to fight."

"Heed the child," the rightward head warned. "We want no trouble, but we do not fear you."

Scull rolled his eyes. To Oliver he said, "They're all like that up here. I dunno why. Let's just do this." He crouched down in a fighting stance. Oliver had no choice but to emulate them.

Middle Head sighed. "So be it." And then the dugtrio charged.

Oliver had never been in a battle like this. Everything happened very quickly. The heads of the dugtrio split apart from one another and moved on their own. Scull's body began to glow with dark energy. Right Head burrowed into the ground and disappeared. Middle Head engaged Scull. Left Head made for Oliver.

Somehow, he stood his ground. Left Head moved very fast, but Oliver timed his jump perfectly. He leapt over the oncoming head. One of his back paws slammed into Left Head's face, which seemed to hinder them both equally; Left Head grunted in pain as Oliver's claw tore a shallow cut in his flesh, and Oliver lost his balance from the accidental blow.

He landed on his side and just barely managed to scramble to his feet again before his opponent was on him again. There was no time to see how Scull was doing. Oliver jumped away from a headbutt, then rolled away from another charge. Left Head did not relent. Oliver's body was filled with adrenaline, but he knew that he couldn't keep this up for long.

He prepared to make another dodge when a wave of black energy slammed into Left Head, who cried out and was forced several yards back. Oliver glanced over at Scull, who seemed to be completely absorbed in his fight with Middle Head. _He didn't even look_ , Oliver thought.

He glanced quickly to the left and right. Scull didn't seem to be having any issues, and Right Head was nowhere to be found, so Oliver dashed toward Left Head to finish him off while he was still dazed. The dugtrio part barely noticed him as he approached. He noticed the scratches that Oliver gave him, though. With a gasp of pain and a look of contempt, Left Head burrowed underground, defeated.

At the same time, Scull unleashed a spray of flames at Middle Head. The attack made a direct hit, and that was the end of that battle.

Oliver grinned and started to walk over to Scull, but Scull was still looking around warily. He didn't realize why until the ground began to rumble again. _Right Head_ , Oliver remembered, just as the last member of the dugtrio team popped out of the ground less than a foot from Scull.

Scull cried out and leapt backward. _He's not prepared_ , Oliver realized. Scull would not be able to block Right Head's next attack. If it made a direct hit, what would happen?

Oliver sprinted toward the other two and jumped at them. Right Head moved in against Scull. A white aura covered the top of the enemy's head. The Oliver landed between Scull and Right Head, skidding to an uneasy stop.

He meant to take the attack for Scull, but his sudden appearance seemed to catch Right Head off guard. The dugtrio's eyes opened wide in surprise, and he did not complete his attack. A moment later, another Dark Pulse soared over Oliver's head and slammed into Right Head. Cursing, he went back underground. Oliver knew that he wouldn't come back up again.

It was not until many seconds later that he realized how quickly his heart was beating. His breath came in quick, deep gasps.

"You're all right?" asked Scull. He seemed to be in better condition, but he was panting as well.

Oliver nodded.

"You tried to sacrifice yourself for me," Scull noted.

"It was the only smart thing to do," Oliver said quickly, as though his decision were something to be ashamed of. "If he knocked you out, I couldn't have taken him on my own. I was just buying you time."

"You're right," Scull said. "It was smart." He laughed. "Hopefully I don't sound too immodest saying that, but yes. You're right. Though to be honest, I think I could've shaken off that guy's blow pretty easily."

"What if you couldn't have, though?" Oliver asked. "I was scared. About what would happen…"

"What? You think they would've killed us?" Scull laughed again. "Nah, Oliver. I don't think those three are murderers. They would've given us a good beating and sent us home with our tails between our legs, that's all."

"How can you know that?"

"Well, I guess I can't. But when you've fought as many battles as I have, you start to learn how other battlers behave. You learn how to win, you learn how to lose. And you learn how others win and lose." He shook his head. "No, Oliver, I don't think we've been in any danger today. Not yet, anyway. Maybe we should head back before we _do_ get into any serious trouble, though. I can show you the cliff some other time. Once you've trained up a bit more."

There was no reluctance in Oliver's nod. The trip down the hill was much shorter than the trip up it had been. They mostly walked in silence, which Oliver appreciated.

It wasn't until they reached the sidewalk that Scull asked him the question. "You know why I didn't let Split come up with us?"

"No," Oliver replied. They started down the sidewalk, toward the forest. After spending so much time on the grass, the pavement was rough against his paws.

"Just thought you might be sick of him," Scull said, and laughed. "Has he left you alone at all in the past few weeks?"

Oliver shook his head. "Not really."

"I figured he hadn't. That one's a follower. Seems he'll just latch onto anyone who tolerates him, and he'll idolize them for it."

"It does sort of feel like that," Oliver admitted.

"I've met plenty like him, though never another quite so bad. Maybe he'll grow out of it. He can't be more than six months old, can he?" Scull fixed Oliver with a sideways look. "He didn't really need to stay in Box Seven all that time, you know. He just needed to stay that first night to make sure he was okay after he almost drowned. But I asked Agga to keep him there, hoping that, with nobody else to talk to, you two would start getting along. I guess maybe it worked too well."

"I guess so. He does get pretty annoying sometimes."

"I dunno about you," Scull said, "but I'd rather have an annoying friend than a violent enemy."

Oliver thought that he could agree with that.

They made the long walk into the forest, meeting up with the others at the treeline, and then headed inside to search for battles. After the tense fight with the dugtrio, the pokémon in the forest gave him no trouble at all. And at the end of the day, Oliver realized that he had, for the first time, taken on multiple enemies at once.


	20. Jay 6

**Jay**

The man wore a neat white shirt which was buttoned from top to bottom. His trousers were black. In his hands, he carried a small tray of food. Without a glance at Jay or Doki, the man dropped the tray to the table and then retreated from the room.

The Wardens' cafeteria was much smaller than the one belowground. That made sense, Jay supposed, since only twenty or so pokémon were permitted to eat here. There was only a single rectangular table. It was large enough to seat four pokémon on each of the longer sides. Jay sat at the edge of one bench and Doki sat across from him. Nobody else was present.

He was glad that the High Warden had allowed him to start eating here. After what he had seen in the kitchens, he never wanted to see that brown slop again. It would be impossible to eat it without remembering the sylveon in the second tier, and the floating, bloated corpses in the fifth tier. Thankfully, this cafeteria did not have a door leading to any sort of kitchens; the humans simply brought the food in from elsewhere.

Today, their meal appeared to be leftovers from the human cafeteria. A dozen meat sandwiches were piled onto the silver tray. They had probably been warm, once, but now they were cold and stiff, and the bread was stale. Jay didn't mind. The thought of meat—not scraps or chunks from some unknown pokémon, but _real_ meat, the kind that humans ate—made his mouth water.

He attacked the sandwiches, and Doki did the same. They were quiet as they ate. Neither of them came up for air until all of the food was gone. Doki had eaten far more than Jay, but he didn't mind. She was much bigger than him, after all. And it reminded him of eating with Blizz.

He had gone to visit his twin three times since they all went into the kitchens. Two weeks had passed since that night. Jay had also visited Bolt and Volt once, but he hadn't seen Flame at all. He knew that, the instant Jay saw him, he would start demanding what his plan was to escape. And Jay still didn't know if he _did_ want to escape. That scared him. _I_ should _want to escape_ , he thought, but even so he had continued with his training. Over the course of the last two weeks he had trained with the Stewards and with the Rangers. Now it was Monday, and about time to go to the Ward of the Halfmen.

"I'm glad," Jay said, breaking a long silence.

Doki looked at him inquisitively.

"I'm glad this cafeteria doesn't have any kitchens." He glanced over at the blank wall. The only door in this room led out into the hallways near the High Warden's chambers. "Not like the other one."

Doki said nothing, but sent him a quick glare. _Don't talk about that place_ , that look said. _Not here. Not now. Not ever._

Jay nodded. He was unsure why he had spoken at all. The tray on the table was empty but for bread crumbs.

After a few more minutes of silence and staring, Doki said, "We should go if you don't want to be late. It's never good to keep the humans waiting."

They climbed down from the benches, leaving their mess behind, and left from the cafeteria. It took them five minutes to reach the room with the trapdoor, and then they started down the long white hallways of the underground Lab.

She left him at the proper door, then departed from the Ward. Doki no longer accompanied him during his visits, now that he was used to the effects of the serum.

Jay pushed through the door. Inside, he was met with a familiar room, familiar people, and a familiar Bald.

He was already in his eevee form, so he approached Jay right away. "You're ready?"

Jay nodded, looking around as he did so. He had never really got used to all the strange things in this room. There was an empty testing table as well as a table filled with random tools and medical supplies, some of which looked pretty scary. Posters and papers lined the clean white walls.

Bald called over one of the humans to hoist Jay onto the table. Bald jumped up on his own.

"You're making good progress, as far as shedding goes," he said.

"How can you tell?" Jay asked. His mane and tail had become quite a bit less fluffy over the past few weeks. Any time he scratched at the white fur, bits of it would come off in a rain of itchy fluff. In some spots, you could see straight through the mane to glimpse the brown underneath. It felt strange for his fur to be so thin. It seemed to make him even smaller than he already was. Jay wasn't sure he liked that. "Is it _supposed_ to be going this fast?"

"It's hard to say for sure," Bald admitted. "I'm the only successful Halfman this branch has created, after all. But my transformation did not progress as quickly as yours, no. It may soon be time."

"Time?" Jay asked as the woman approached with the syringe. He didn't resist as she rolled him over and pressed it into his flesh. A few moments later, it was done, and he rolled back onto his stomach. "Time for what?"

"The surgery."

"Oh. Right." Jay had almost forgotten that there would be surgery involved. He didn't love the idea of being cut open by human hands and their steel tools. Well, he didn't really like the idea of being cut open at all, but never mind. "Didn't you say that was the worst part?"

"I did."

"Will you tell me about it? So I can be prepared?"

"No," Bald said. "Perhaps it would be best if I didn't."

Jay wasn't sure how to respond to that. For a while he did not say anything. Then, "Can I go now? I want to get back to the High Warden's chambers before I get sick."

"How long were you sick last week?" Bald asked.

Jay thought about it. "Two days, I guess."

"Was it bad?"

"Sort of. Not as bad as it's been."

"Give me a moment." Bald jumped off of the table, then transformed into a man. His green bathrobe was on a hook by the door, and he shrugged into it to hide his nudity. Then he exchanged a few human words with the woman. Jay couldn't understand what they were saying, but the conversation was short.

"You'll be staying a bit longer," Bald, back in his eevee form, told him a few minutes later. "Now that you're so close to your final transformation, and your symptoms are settling down, the humans would like your training to become a bit more extensive."

"Extensive?"

"You will learn the basics of the humans language. You know the alphabet, true, and a few words, but that is not enough. We must go over grammar, sentence structure, punctuation"

Jay had never even heard some of those words. "That sounds hard," he admitted.

"Oh, it shouldn't be too bad," Bald said. "A pokémon's mind is not a human's mind, after all. You wouldn't be able to comprehend anything too complicated yet. We only need to give you a foundation upon which to build."

And so, Jay spent the next three hours going over the basics of the human language. Some parts were easy to understand, and others were not. By the end, he thought he understood how sentences and periods worked, but the concept of commas still eluded him, no matter how many times Bald explained it to him.

"This is harder than I thought it would be," Jay said. He sighed. "And more boring, too. Can't we take a break soon? It feels like we've been here forever." Jay was beginning to regret eating lunch beforehand. He could no longer use hunger as an excuse to excuse himself.

"We only have Mondays," Bald said, "and the serum puts you out of commission for half a week. Sorry, kid, but we have to squeeze it all in during these sessions. I doubt the High Warden would appreciate us stealing you away any more than we already do."

Jay groaned. The lesson continued.

Much later, when the humans finally decided that Jay had learned enough for one week, he was excused. Before he could walk out, though, Bald had a question for him. "How are you feeling?"

Jay stopped and measured himself up. "Fine, actually. A little queasy, but fine. I don't think I'll throw up or anything."

"That's good to hear," Bald said, then nodded him out.

He was half-expecting to find Doki waiting for him in the hallway, but she was nowhere to be seen. Jay had to go find a different Steward to escort him back aboveground. He supposed that he could have gone by himself, since his black cap kept him safe from Watchers, but he wasn't sure he knew the way. There were twists and turns you had to take to get from the Ward of the Halfmen to the High Warden's chambers, and Jay was no Steward.

He finally got there about an hour later. The Steward had left him at the trapdoor, so he was alone. Jay stepped into the room where he now lived.

The central room was something like a mingling area. Plush red carpet covered the floor (though the walls were still white), and cushions were littered about. A few Wardens, who also lived in this place, lounged around. Lyra sat with her son against one of the walls and chatted with Toga the togekiss. Spike waved at Jay with a shaky hand, and Jay nodded back. Terrin was here as well, resting on a pillow in the center of the room, but he didn't look over at Jay. He hadn't seen much of Terrin lately. It seemed that, now that the High Warden had chosen his apprentice, the Warden of the Cells had returned to his usual duties.

Two thin hallways branched out from the left and right sides of the room. Each hallway held about fifteen doors, and behind every one was a small bedroom for whomever the High Warden had deemed important enough to live up here. At the end of the right wing was a much larger bedroom, reserved for the High Warden himself.

Jay's room was right next to that one. He moved in that direction, ready to get some sleep. It couldn't have been nighttime yet, but down here in the Lab, that didn't really matter.

His bed was a small cushion in a white room. Jay's stomach hurt a bit from the serum, but it wasn't enough to stop him from falling into a deep sleep.

Much later, somebody shook him awake. Jay groaned, but rolled off of the pillow and began to blink the sleep out of his eyes. The lights had been dimmed and the morning bell had not yet rung. _It's the middle of the night_ , Jay thought. Who would come to wake him at this hour?

As it turned out, Doki would. She stood over him, also looking sleepy. "The High Warden wants you," she said. "He's in his room."

Jay rose to his feet. "What does he want?"

"I dunno. My patrol shift just ended. I'm going to bed. G'night." She made to leave, but she paused in the doorway. "Oh, and I ran into Flame earlier. He wants to see you, too. He wouldn't tell me why, but I think it's important."

"Sure," he said, and Doki left him there. _Flame_ …Jay was pretty sure he knew what _that_ conversation would be about. He wasn't too eager to have it.

Jay gazed longingly at his bed for a few more moments, and then he went out the door as well.

It was a short walk to the High Warden's room. A thin door blocked the entrance, but it was designed for pokémon to be able to push through. Jay went in and found the absol reclining on a large pillow. The room was carpeted and larger than Jay's, but it was still no match for his old trainer's bedroom.

"Jay," the High Warden greeted. "Are you feeling well?"

He had a bad stomachache and he was wondering if he would break his vow of not vomiting, but otherwise he was fine. "Yes."

"Good. I heard as much from the humans. It will happen soon, then?"

"The surgery?" Jay asked. "I think so."

"I see. Come here."

Jay did. The High Warden lifted a paw and ruffled it through what remained of Jay's mane. Bits of white fur shook out of the mane and began to rain down to the floor in a thin cloud.

"You are shedding quickly," the High Warden noted.

"Bald says that's a good thing."

The High Warden nodded. He made no indication that he had heard Jay call the other Halfman by a strange name. "Are you prepared for the surgery?"

"Not really. Nobody will tell me what it's like."

"I have only overseen it once, but I suppose that is enough. I do not know all of the specifics, but I can tell you that there will be pain. Quite a lot of it."

"I figured there would be," Jay said. Bald had spoken of it as though it were some nightmare which he wanted to forget.

"Are you frightened?"

"I guess I am," Jay said. "But pain fades, and knowledge doesn't. You told me that once. I guess this isn't really about knowledge, but I think the saying still works here."

"I think so too," the High Warden said, and smiled. "You may return to bed, Jay."

Jay began to step toward the door, but paused. "How come you're still awake, anyway?"

"I do not sleep much, I'm afraid. The opportunity rarely presents itself."

"Oh." Jay realized that he would someday be just like the High Warden. He had always thought of it as some great, powerful position, but he supposed that it came with some cons as well as pros. "I really am scared," he admitted.

"When the time comes, I'm sure you'll find the courage you need," the High Warden told him.

The time came two weeks later. Jay spent his days learning even more about the various Wards, spending time with Doki, and avoiding Flame. When he went to the Ward of the Halfmen that Monday, Bald told him that the serum was no longer necessary.

"The surgery will take place tomorrow," Bald told him. "Get some good rest tonight, and don't eat after dinner today. You'll be hungry, but the food will interfere. I don't know a lot about all that, but that's what the humans told me."

The next morning, Doki walked him to a room in the dark corner of the Ward. The High Warden accompanied them as well, and Bald was already there. Doki was sent away.

He was strapped to a white table by men in white coats. A tray full of sharp metal instruments stood a few feet away. There was no anesthesia.

Hours later, Jay was placed into a bed to recover. The bed was not built for pokémon, but for humans. He was too weak to raise his arms and play with his fingers, but he could see his legs stretching down all the way to the end of the bedframe. A mop of brown hair tumbled down from his scalp. Everything around him seemed so _small_.

Bald stepped up beside the bed in his human form. "Feeling okay?" he asked. For the first time, Jay understood the words. It was like a switch had turned on inside of his head. He couldn't make much sense of it, but suddenly it was clear as day.

"I'm fine," Jay said, in the human language.


	21. Oliver 7

**Oliver**

The day had been long and hard, but now it was ending. Outside, the night was coming quickly. Some stars had already appeared in the sky, and the moon could be seen rising in the dusk.

Oliver and his friends were not outside, though. He, along with Scull, Split, Rush, Skitty, and Kick, sat on the plush carpet of his trainer's living room. They lounged and talked about unimportant things as they recovered from today's particularly brutal training session. Oliver had learned to relish the soreness of his legs, for it meant that he was growing stronger. Even the pain of scratches and sprains had started to give him a certain type of joy.

His broken leg was now fully mended. Two weeks had passed since his fight with the dugtrio. Every day since then had been spent training.

"Shouldn't be long now," Scull announced. "I bet we're already strong enough to take on the next gym."

Oliver wasn't sure exactly what a gym challenge entailed, but he had the general idea. His trainer would take six members of the fighting team to some faraway city so that she could do battle with whoever ran the gym. She would return home a few days later in victory or defeat. Oliver was not on her battling team, though, so none of this really affected him.

"If we're so strong," Skitty grumbled, "then we should be able to take a break one of these days…" She had taken a pretty nasty cut on her flank earlier today, and she had been grumpy ever since. Mostly, Skitty took out her frustrations on Split. She still seemed to hold a grudge against him, even though Oliver had forgiven him.

Split had not really changed. He still followed Oliver around everywhere, never giving him any personal space. It was pretty annoying, but Oliver sort of liked the idea of having another friend, even if Split wasn't a very good one.

"Asking Scull for a day off is like asking the grass not to grow," Kick said, and chuckled.

Scull batted the machop with his paw, but he smiled as well. "Well, how else are we gonna be the best in the world? Someday, we'll all be in the Hall of Fame. Maybe even you two." He looked over at Oliver and Split.

Skitty snorted. "Maybe Oliver, but that _other_ one?" Her voice was full of contempt that Oliver had rarely heard her use.

Split shuffled awkwardly, but he knew better than to argue.

"That's enough, Skitty," Scull said. He stood up. "Maybe you could use some sleep. We all could, I'm sure. It's been a long day."

"If you say so." Skitty rose too. Then they were all getting up, preparing to head to the PC and ready themselves for bed.

Oliver stayed seated, though, and Scull noticed. "Aren't you coming?"

He shook his head. "I'm not tired."

For a moment, Scull just stood there, looking like he wanted to order Oliver to bed. Finally he said, "All right. Don't get in any trouble, okay? And come straight to my room when you're ready to sleep." Scull no longer asked Oliver when he intended to return to Box Four.

Oliver nodded, and then the others left the room. Now it was just Oliver and Split in the living room. Only when he heard the flash of the PC did Oliver rise.

"Where are you going?" Split asked.

"Out."

Split blinked. "Out?"

Oliver nodded.

"Why?"

"I want to train," Oliver told him.

"We just spent the whole day training!"

Oliver was not sure how to explain. His muscles ached, and he felt powerful, and he was covered with scrapes, but it wasn't _enough_. He knew that there wasn't much time left until Stan—or worse, Caro—would grow bored and hatch a plan to corner him again. Oliver wanted to be ready when that happened. He asked Split, "You know what happens at the end of all this, right?"

Split nodded glumly. "I know. You and Stan. But it doesn't have to be like that, does it?"

"It won't end until I beat him for good. And Caro, too."

"Maybe I could try talking to Stan—"

Oliver cut him off. "If talking worked on him, I wouldn't be in this mess in the first place."

Split was defiant. "I _know_ he'll listen to me, if I explain how you're not _really_ a freak."

"Fine," Oliver said impatiently, "do whatever you want. I'm going." It annoyed him to hear Split talk highly of his old friend. It made Oliver feel like he was still on the wrong side.

He expected Split to follow him out the backdoor, but Split didn't. Oliver stepped out onto the back lawn alone. _This is stupid_ , he thought, but he kept walking forward until he reached the fence. Oliver leapt over it and landed on the sidewalk beyond. The sky was turning darker by the second.

 _If this was a good idea, I wouldn't be hiding it from Scull_. What he was about to do was dangerous, he knew. Yet he also knew that it was necessary. Scull was always there to save him during the day, but now there was only Oliver. _If I can't face wild pokémon on my own, how can I face Stan?_

The walk was shorter than he remembered. Hardly any cars passed him. By the time he reached the big hill, it was well and truly night.

Oliver stepped off of the sidewalk and onto the grass. It was even crunchier than it had been last time. No doubt the coming winter was the cause of that. He began to climb, keeping a sharp eye out for predators or prey. It was too dark to see all the way to the top of the hill.

Every few minutes, he paused to rest. The sharp incline took a lot out of him, mostly because of his sore legs. He felt no shame in going slowly, and there was nobody here to see, anyway. Despite knowing that many dangerous pokémon lived here, Oliver felt strangely calm.

He wasn't sure how far he walked, but he spent a long time climbing in silence. Then the ground began to rumbled, just as it had done the last time, and a figure popped up out of the grass. Even in the dark, Oliver could make out the shape of the dugtrio. This time, there was only one head. He thought it was Middle Head, but there was really no way to be sure.

The head of the dugtrio considered Oliver for a few moments. "What are you doing here, child? These lands are dangerous by night."

"What are _you_ doing here?" Oliver asked. "I thought your den was further downhill."

"It is. I'm hunting, that's all."

"Well, so am I. Are you gonna fight me again?" The other two heads were nowhere to be seen, so Oliver probably had a decent chance of winning.

"Bah!" Middle Head gestured dismissively. "Of course not. We have done battle already, and I lost. It would break the laws of the wild to attack you now."

"That laws of the wild?" Oliver asked.

"You would not know of them, spoiled one."

"I'm not spoiled."

Middle Head snorted. "All pokémon owned by man are spoiled."

"My trainer's a girl," Oliver pointed out.

"Not men. _Man_. There's a difference. Can you truly say that you would leave your current life for mine?"

Oliver thought about it. He imagined himself running through forests, alone, hunting and gathering, never knowing what would come next. "Yes. I think I would."

"Is that so? Well, the grass is always greener on the other side. That's a human saying, or so I've been told. Come, boy, walk with me. Perhaps we can find some game if we work together."

"Sure." The whole point of this trip had been to pick fights on his own, but he decided that it might be nice to try teaming up with someone other than Scull. "I'm Oliver."

"Well met. I am called Nigel."

The dugtrio head named Nigel turned and began to move uphill. Oliver followed. They went up through the gnarled wildlife for a long time before finding some prey. It was a young raticate, hardly an adult. Oliver engaged it as a distraction, but it was Nigel who delivered the killing blow. The dugtrio went to the corpse and began to devour it.

"Scull said you weren't a killer," Oliver said, remembering. "That's the friend who I fought you with," he added, in case Nigel couldn't figure that out for himself.

"He's a fool, then," said Nigel. He tore off another chunk of bloody meat and fur. "Most wild pokémon are killers. But don't fear, child. We know better than to kill a spoiled one. Humans become vicious when their toys are taken away. Now come, share this meal with me. We hunted together, and we shall eat together. That is the way of the wild."

"I'm not wild," Oliver said. He looked at the raticate with morbid curiosity. Moonlight glittered in its dead eyes. "I guess it couldn't hurt to try, though." He made his way over to the body and bit off a small bit of muscle near the neck. He chewed and swallowed, and the blood ran through his teeth like hot saliva. It wasn't bad. Oliver took another bite.

They ate in silence for a while, and soon there was nothing left but bone and other inedible parts. At that time, Nigel said, "For what reason are you here, child? You say it was to hunt, but you were hesitant to eat. What is the true reason?"

Oliver looked up at him. "I really am here to hunt, I guess." He looked at the remains of the raticate. "Not for food, just to get stronger. I don't know if I'm in the mood for that anymore."

"Hunting for sport is a dangerous game, and a selfish one," Nigel said.

"I'm not just doing it for fun!" Oliver said indignantly. Then, without really meaning to, he began to speak of all his troubles. He spoke of Stan and Caro and Split, and of his mother, and of Scull and his other friends. He must have spoken for more than fifteen minutes. The words just kept coming.

Nigel listened to him silently. When Oliver was finally finished, the dugtrio said, "And you hope to solve your problems by growing stronger and stronger, until these predators cannot hope to stand against you?"

Oliver nodded.

"Bah!" said Nigel. "You're playing a fool's game, child. Tell me, how good of a fighter is this brother of yours?"

"I don't know," Oliver said. "Nobody's ever stood up to him before."

"Then he has never been in a fight. Ergo, he is not a good fighter. That is good! Very good. If your brother were even half-competent, then you would stand no chance against both he and this poochyena. You will be fighting two at once, you say? No, even the best fighters in the world would have trouble against those odds. You cannot beat them with raw strength, which seems to be your plan. But bad fighters are _always_ bad tacticians, or else they would not be bad fighters. Outsmart them, separate them, and perhaps then you may be able to overpower them."

"You really think so?" Oliver had always just assumed that he would need to fight all of his enemies at once, but he supposed that his odds _would_ be better if he could find a way to take them out one at a time.

"Of course I do," said Nigel. "You'd do well to listen to me rather than that fool houndour. Go home now, child, and think about what I've said."

Oliver rose, but he did not start back down the hill. "No. I can't leave yet. There's something I want to see first."

"What would that be?"

Oliver looked up the slope, which was now steeper than ever. "Scull said you could see for miles from the top of the cliff. Will you take me?"

Nigel sighed. "It is growing very late, child. I should also be getting home."

"I understand," Oliver said. Then he turned and began to walk up the slope.

"Where are you going?"

Oliver looked back. "To the top. You don't have to come if you don't want, but I'm going. I think I need to see it. I don't know why."

Nigel sighed. "Well, I suppose that some instincts shouldn't be ignored. Oh, very well, child, I will take you there. But only so that my conscience will be clear. The higher you go on this hill, the more dangerous the wild pokémon become. Taking the wrong route would surely lead to your death."

Together, they continued up the hill. The trees up here grew taller and thicker, and vines snaked around the trunks. Neither of them spoke as they went. Their way was lit only by moonlight.

Half an hour later, after traversing a series of strange paths, the grass began to thin out, and eventually the ground turned to rock. Oliver's claws clacked against the stone. There were no more trees. It was now a straight shot to the very top.

"Don't get too close, now," Nigel warned him. "I don't want you falling over on my watch."

Oliver ignored him. He had never been afraid of heights. As he neared the top, the ground leveled out, becoming almost flat. Ahead, the land came to an abrupt and jagged end. Beyond, there was nothing but darkness.

"Scull said it would be pretty. All I can see is black space, though."

"There's naught to see till morning. Come, you've seen the top, you can come again some other day. We should both be getting to bed."

Oliver shook his head. "I'm staying." It would be foolish to stay until dawn. He would worry all of his friends and maybe even get himself killed. Right now, though, he hardly even cared. Oliver sensed that something big was coming soon, and he felt that he needed to see off of this cliff before facing whatever it was.

Nigel cursed. "My other heads will hate me if I spend the night here."

"How can you be apart from them, anyway?" Oliver asked. "I thought your kind were always together."

"Oh, I'm sure they'd like it if we were. Sometimes I wish that I'd never evolved. My other heads are me, and they are not. They do as I do, yet they are mindless. It's like having two children who are at the same time geniuses and completely idiotic." Nigel sighed. "You have a rare gift, Oliver, one that even the most spoiled pokémon would kill to have. If you should ever evolve, choose your new form carefully." The dugtrio left him then, burrowing into the ground as he moved downhill.

Oliver turned to the empty darkness beyond the edge of the rocky cliff. The moon and the stars glowed silver and yellow, but they didn't even make a dent in the abyss. As he stared into the darkness, Oliver thought about what Nigel had said. Not the advice about evolving, but the advice about Stan and Caro. _How can I separate them?_ They were always together, weren't they? Except for maybe when they slept. Could Oliver use that, somehow? Maybe…

He must have dozed off at some point, because he woke hours later to a nudge.

"Up, child," came Nigel's voice. "The morning has come. Here is your view."

Oliver opened his eyes slowly. The light was still very faint, but the sun was slowly making its way over the horizon. _A sunrise_ , he thought, remembering how badly he had wanted to see a real one. He rolled to his feet and looked over the side of the cliff. Morning fog partially blocked his view, but he could still see the green of the earth below. The fog danced in all sorts of colors, pink and orange and purple. Miles away, Oliver glimpsed the forest that he trained in so often.

"It's pretty," he said.

"Yes, yes, I know," Nigel said, sounding impatient. "Now _come_. I got up even before the sun to come get you. How should I have felt if some wild beast had come to claim you while you slept?"

"I never meant to fall asleep," Oliver said as they started down the hill.

"Well, you _did_ , didn't you? Bah! Foolish boy. I could have prepared a nice bed for you in my den, if you had only asked."

Nigel's lecture went on for nearly the entirety of their descent. The dugtrio finally left him when they reached his den, as he decided that the rest of the trip would be safe for Oliver.

It didn't take long to climb down from there. The walk downhill was easy, so Oliver didn't have to stop for breaks like he had done last night. He stepped onto the sidewalk a few minutes later. As he walked home, Oliver realized that he had never managed to finalize his plan for dealing with Stan and Caro. He remembered that last night he had felt certain that the struggle between himself and Stan would end for good sometime soon, maybe even today. Now he wasn't so sure. Whoever lost their fight would still be around at the end of it, looking for revenge. Wouldn't they? Oliver thought about Caro, and what the poochyena might do if he truly got his way. For that matter, what would Oliver do, if he had his bullies at his mercy? _I could do it. I could…_

But no, that was foolish. He couldn't just kill his enemies like that. Mother was uncaring and sometimes cruel, but she would never forgive the death of one of her sons. That would be a very quick way to be released, or even put down by the humans. No, Oliver needed a different way to stop Stan.

He kept thinking, but he never came up with a good answer. Before he knew it, he had arrived at the fence between his trainer's house and the sidewalk. By now, the sun was well over the horizon and the day was clear. _I should hurry up and get in_ , Oliver thought. Scull had undoubtedly noticed that he was missing by now, and it would be best to get back to him before he worried too much.

Oliver leapt, touched the top of the fence, and came down onto the grass on the other side. They were there, waiting for him.

Stan sat calmly, staring coldly at Oliver. Caro's eyes were filled with malice. Split lay in a bloody heap between the other two. His breaths came in shallow, jagged gasps. His eyes were closed and he wasn't moving.

"You always show up whenever I'm not expecting you," Oliver told them.

"You're stupid if you weren't expecting us," said Stan. He lifted his paw and put it on Split's head. "You send this traitor to beg for you, and you think I'll just forget about what a _freak_ you are?" He shook his head. "It took some time, but Split gave us the answers we wanted, in the end. I knew you'd be back in the morning, so we came here to wait."

Oliver instinctively took a step backward. He didn't know if he was ready for this yet, and Nigel had told him not to confront them both at once. The fence was right behind him.

Caro let out a burst of cruel laughter. "Go on, freak, run if you want. We'll wait for you to get back. Till then, we have a new toy to play with." He brought his paw up and then down, opening another gash on Split's face. Split whimpered softly.

"You'll kill him," Oliver said.

"Traitors will get no mercy from me," Stan declared. His face bore a few scratches. Split must have tried to defend himself. _Then he's never been in a fight_ , Oliver heard Nigel say. Apparently, Stan _had_ been in a fight.

But so had Oliver. "Leave him alone. He's my friend now."

Stan frowned. "I know. That's the point of all this. He was _my_ friend, not yours, and you stole him. After what happened in Box Six, I thought maybe I should go easier on you, but now…no, I won't forgive this, you little freak. You've gone weeks and weeks without a proper lesson. Well, _your time has come_." And Stan charged at Oliver, flying over the neatly trimmed grass of their trainer's backyard.

Running was not an option, Oliver knew. He bent down in a fighting pose, just like Scull had taught him.

Caro gave a bark of laughter and then he began to run at Oliver as well. _I can't take them both_ , Oliver remembered. Split must have realized that as well, for his eyes suddenly shot open and he sent a paw over toward Caro's legs. Caro went sprawling and fell to the ground, but he was up again in an instant. He turned, growling, to Split, forgetting about Oliver completely.

"Oliver…" Split said softly, just before Caro descended on him.

Oliver wasn't sure why Split had said his name, and there was no time to think about it. Stan was only a few feet away, and he was still sprinting.

He rolled away from Stan's tackle, and Stan tried to skid to a stop but he ended up sliding headfirst into the wooden fence. He howled in anger and rage, then came after Oliver again. Oliver lashed out with his claws as Stan bowled into him, and opened a nasty cut on Stan's face. Then they both went rolling through the grass, around and around, scratching at one another. Stan was on top for one moment, but then Oliver got a paw on his brother's side and pushed him to the ground, and then it was Oliver on top. He raised his paw to scratch once more…and then Caro slammed into him from the side.

Oliver flew through the air, hardly realizing what was happening. Distantly, he saw that Split had collapsed again, and he was bleeding worse than ever.

He hit the ground very hard, so hard that he thought he might have broken one of his ribs all over again. Caro stood over him, growling, grinning.

"You get off of him," Stan growled, rising to his feet. He looked furious. "This is our fight, not yours. Leave him for me."

Still towering over Oliver, Caro rounded on Stan. "Shut up! I'm sick of you always telling me what I can and can't do. You want me to leave him for you, but you weren't even _winning_! You're weak! You—"

Caro's words turned to a shriek as Oliver shot a paw up and forced his claw into the poochyena's right eye. Blood ran into Oliver's fur. Caro stumbled off of Oliver and away. He tried to get a paw up and defend himself, but Oliver was too fast for him. He sent Caro to the ground and climbed on top of him, just as he had done to Stan. Then he flew into a deep rage, scratching and biting, never caring if Caro fought back. Oliver half-expected Stan to pull him off, but his brother never came near him.

Some time later, it was Scull who pried him off of Caro. "Oliver…Oliver, that's enough. _Enough_."

Caro's face was completely ruined, stripped of half of its fur and skin. Blood trickled from his right eye. The poochyena whimpered and tried to crawl away but he was too weak. Stan stood nearby, watching, and Split was only just now regaining his consciousness.

Oliver didn't care about any of that. All he knew was that he wanted to fight, to kill. "Let me go! _Let me go_!"

"I won't," Scull said through a mouthful of Oliver's fur. "You're in a battle rage, Oliver, that's all. In a few minutes, you'll think clearly again. You don't really want him dead, just _trust me_ , Oliver."

Eventually, Oliver stopped struggling. He realized that he had taken a few wounds himself.

Nobody really said anything for a while. Then Scull dashed off to find help for Caro and Split. Oliver's eyes met Stan's. Neither of them said a word.


	22. Jay 7

**Jay**

"Humans age differently than pokémon," explained the man in the white shirt. He was not elderly, but he was certainly beyond middle-aged. If Jay had to guess, the man was in his fifties. His hair was graying and he wore glasses so thick that they almost seemed to weigh down his head. He slumped when he walked, and he spoke in a polished, dignified accent. Before, Jay wouldn't have noticed any of this, but now that he was a true Halfman, he had started to pay more attention to the once-mystifying species, which he supposed he was now a part of. One month had passed since his surgery.

Jay was seated in a small wooden desk inside of a room that his superiors had named a "classroom." He had a sheet of paper on his desk beside a notebook filled with blank sheets of lined paper. Jay was supposed to be taking notes on what his teacher was saying, but he was still pretty bad at reading and writing, and he was far from practiced with his fingers. On the other hand, he had very little difficulty learning the spoken word. He wasn't sure why that was. Perhaps it was because he had been listening to the humans speak his whole life, unable to understand what they were saying until now.

The man continued his lecture. "Most pokémon mature incredibly quickly in their first few years. An eevee, such as yourself, tends to reach adulthood at six years. Keep in mind that a human is legally considered an adult at eighteen." The man scribbled something that Jay couldn't read on the chalkboard behind him. The chalk scraped in an obnoxious way, hurting Jay's ears. He had been told that, as a Halfman, some of his pokémon traits would remain to him, such as his enhanced sense of hearing and smell. His teeth were also much sharper than the average person's. He ran his tongue along the jagged rocks in his mouth as he listened to his teacher drone on and on. _Sharp_ , he thought. Jay didn't even recognize some of the words pouring out of the man's mouth, but he pretended to. "However, by the time an eevee reaches one year of age, their body and mind will be as mature as the body and mind of an eight-year-old human. When they are two, they will behave roughly as a twelve-year old human. By three, they will act fourteen. This is why so many pokémon can produce eggs at such a young age. Do you understand?"

Jay nodded, though he was hardly paying attention. "How old am I?" he asked, in a voice much deeper than his eevee voice was. "In this human body?" He had been told, once, shortly after his transformation, but it hadn't seemed important at the time.

"Nine, I'd say," the teacher answered. "Or maybe eight, or ten. It's hard to tell by sight alone, especially considering your small stature."

"Oh." Jay had been faintly hoping that his transformation into a human would cure him of his runt-ness. It hadn't. "How much longer do I have to sit here? I'm hungry…"

The teacher glanced at the clock in the corner of the room. Jay turned his head to look at it as well. It was about thirty minutes past noon.

"Well, I suppose we can cut it a bit short today," the teacher said, setting the chalk down on the shelf of the board. "We're ahead of schedule, after all. Do you need help walking?"

Jay shook his head as he got out of his desk. "I'm fine." It was still pretty hard to balance on just two legs, and he hadn't been able to get over how high up from the floor he was when he stood.

He had been practicing all sorts of things during this past month, including walking. Jay had been encouraged to mingle with the humans of the Lab as much as possible, so that he could learn from them.

"Very well," said the teacher. "Shall I fetch someone to escort you to the cafeteria?"

Jay nodded, and the teacher left and returned a few minutes later with Bald.

"What are you doing here?" Jay asked the other Halfman. Usually, it was a normal human who escorted him from place to place.

"You and I have business to see to after lunch," Bald said. He wore his green robe, as he always did. Jay was dressed in a similar light blue robe, and on his feet he wore a white pair of socks and a whiter pair of sneakers.

He didn't bother to question what sort of business Bald was talking about. Jay was, as he had told the teacher, absolutely ravenous. In this human body, he grew hungry far more quickly than he had in his eevee body.

Bald led Jay away from the classroom. They were aboveground now, and far away from the trapdoor which led down to the Lab proper. There were no pokémon to be seen here; only humans. And there were a _lot_ of humans crowding through the halls. Posters and fliers covered the walls, though Jay could only read some of them. In contrast to the underground, all of the important rooms were very close to each other, so it only took a few minutes to walk to the cafeteria.

It was a very large room, much bigger than the cafeteria underground. Because it was so close to noon, a long line had built up in front of the counter where the food was served. Jay grabbed a tray and went to the back of the line, as he did every day.

Bald grabbed a tray as well, but he gestured for Jay to step out of the line. "There's no time for all that. Come, we'll skip the line, let's get our food and eat quickly. The business I spoke of isn't the kind that should be ignored for long."

None of the other humans glared at them as they cut through the line; they seemed to understand that Bald was doing something important, or at the very least they understood that he was not someone to be defied. He did not answer to the High Warden, Jay remembered.

There were dozens of options to choose from on the metal counter. Plenty of meat dishes were present, and five different kinds of steamed vegetables, and cold vegetables for salads as well, along with an entire separate section for desserts. Jay piled an almost intimidating amount of food onto his tray. He had been lunch in this cafeteria nearly every day for the past month, but it still amazed him that he was allowed to eat whatever he wanted, and as much of it as he wanted.

They made their way to an empty table and sat there. Bald wolfed his food down incredibly quickly, though he somehow managed to avoid spilling any of it on his robe. Jay was not so lucky. It seemed that every time he took a bite, something managed to splash down onto his clothes. He supposed that that was because he wasn't entirely used to his human hands yet. _One day I'll be as good at being a man as Bald is_ , he thought, and then, _No, one day I'll be even_ better _than Bald._

Jay decided that it would be wise to emulate Bald, and so he began to eat quickly as well. It was a shame that he had to sacrifice taste for speed, but it couldn't be helped.

As soon as they were both finished, Bald rose and told Jay to follow. They left their trays on the table, even though Jay wanted to go hand them to the cleaning lady like he always did; she seemed to be fond of him.

"Where are we going now?" Jay asked as they exited the cafeteria, maneuvering through a crowd of people.

"I'm taking you to meet your true master," said Bald.

"My…master?"

Bald explained as they walked. "The one who runs all of this. There is nobody above him."

"So he's like the High Warden, but for humans?"

"Yes, and no," said Bald. "He cannot dispose those who annoy him quite as easily as the High Warden can. Surely you've learned by now that humans consider their own lives to be more valuable than ours?"

Jay nodded.

"He is a businessman, but there is more to him as well. He will do great things, someday."

"Who is he?" Jay asked. "What's his name, I mean?" He liked to learn the names of humans. It was so weird how they all had two or even three each.

"Perhaps someday he'll tell you," Bald said.

Jay frowned. "I don't get to know?"

"He's a secretive man. Even most of his employees don't know his true identity. You must understand that many of our experiments are…unorthodox, even for humans. Better to avoid all the attention, should it get uncovered."

"How am I supposed to talk to him, then?" Jay asked.

"You don't know my name, and you're talking to me."

Jay stopped walking for just a moment, then continued. "You never told me it."

"I'm secretive as well," Bald said. "Look, if you must call him something besides 'sir,' he does have a title. He didn't give it to himself. His underlings thought it up, I suppose for when they needed to talk about him during meetings. It's a very long title, and in my opinion it's a silly thing to call him, but it will suffice."

"What's the title?" Jay asked.

"The Man With Dark Hair And Darker Eyes."

"That _is_ really long," Jay said. "I wish I could just know his actual name."

"Many people wish for that same thing," Bald said. "His enemies, mostly. Now come, we need to get you dressed. I'm not bringing you to him in a robe."

They came to a room with plush carpet. Cabinets and wardrobes were lined along the walls. There were a few other men and women here already, and they quickly got to work. They had Jay undress, and then brought out all sorts of rulers and tape measures.

It didn't feel weird to be naked in front of other people. After all, as an eevee, Jay had spent his entire life naked. If anything, it was being clothed which felt unnatural. He knew that humans had some kind of taboo regarding nudity, but he didn't share it.

They measured around his arms and legs and chest and waist, and even around his neck. As they went, one of the men scribbled numbers onto a clipboard.

"This is unfortunate," a woman said once the measuring was done. "His body structure is certainly unusual. His clothes will need to be custom tailored, and that could take a week or more. None of the suits we have prepared will fit him quite right, I'm afraid."

"Make do," Bald suggested. "We're on a tight schedule."

Their schedule was not the only thing that ended up being tight. The black dress shirt that they forced over Jay's head squeezed his chest uncomfortably. On the other hand, his slacks were too loose around the waist. A woman looped a belt through his pants to fix that issue, and he was given a long-sleeved white jacket to cover the shirt. By the time they were done, Jay thought he resembled the perfect caricature of a businessman, like one you might see on television.

"This stuff is all itchy," Jay said, scratching at his shirt. "I'd rather just wear my robe."

"The Man With Dark Hair And Darker Eyes would not appreciate that," Bald said, and once again Jay thought about how long and impractical that this mysterious man's name was. "Don't worry, you'll only have to wear those things for a short amount of time."

Jay barely had time to thank the humans before Bald dragged him out of the room and back into the hallway.

This time, he led him through a set of large double doors which opened at the foot of a tall, winding staircase.

"Climb," Bald ordered.

Jay looked over at him. "Aren't you coming?"

"I wasn't the one he asked to see," Bald said. "Go on. I'll wait for you here. Remember: be polite; be respectful; be submissive. He _does_ detest defiance."

Jay swallowed, then nodded. He stepped forward and began to climb up the stairs.

It was a small, square room, so the flights were split into two halves, and Jay had to turn around every twenty steps to continue his ascent. Before long, he was panting, and once he had to take a few moments to rest.

The top was fifteen stories up. Jay was thoroughly out of breath by the time he got there. His calves hurt, and a few beads of sweat wove their way through his long brown hair.

He came to a very small top floor which contained nothing but a set of wooden double doors built into the back wall.

Jay walked to the them. He bit his lip. _Do I just go in?_

After considering it for a while, he decided that it would probably be better to knock. His knuckles rapped against the hard wood.

"Come in," said a voice from the room beyond.

Jay twisted the knob and pushed through the doors.

He stepped into a pretty standard office. It was lit by industrial bulbs in the ceiling, and there were plenty of bookcases and drawers. Thriving potted plants filled the corners. The carpet was a pinkish red color and the walls were white. There was a wide desk in the center of the room, and a man sat behind it. He was as ordinary a man as Jay had ever seen. His hair was short and black, and his face was clean-shaven. He appeared to be in his thirties. As his title suggested, his eyes were very dark, yet they were not intimidating. Jay thought he looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.

The Man With Dark Hair And Darker Eyes greeted him with a smile. "You're Jay, aren't you? It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Come, sit, make yourself comfortable." He gestured to a plush chair on Jay's side of the desk.

Jay hurried to obey. He struggled to find words to answer, but for some reason it was very hard to talk to this man. "Yeah," he said. "I mean, yes. I'm Jay."

"I've heard wonderful things about you. I'm glad we've found somebody with so much potential." The Man With Dark Hair And Darker Eyes' smile broadened. "Have you been enjoying your time at the Lab?"

Jay shrugged. "I guess I have. I like working with the Wardens." He cringed as he realized how stupid he sounded. _I should have been more formal. Or something._

If the other man minded, he didn't show it. "That's understandable. I've known most of the Wardens for a very long time. We can't speak with each other, of course, but I'd like to think that we're still friends." He reached into a container on the desk and pulled out something hard, round, and colorful, wrapped in plastic. "Would you like a peppermint, Jay? I think I'll have one."

Jay reached over the desk and took one. "Thank you." He unwrapped it with clumsy fingers and popped it into his mouth. It was pretty good. He was starting to feel more comfortable around this man. _Why is Bald so worried about how I act around him?_

"I think that we'll get along very well, Jay," said the Man With Dark Hair And Darker Eyes, his voice now muffled with his own peppermint. "You seem like you'll grow into a good man. It's good to see that. You're the first successful Halfman in…what, ten years? Longer? I can't tell you how disappointed I would've been to see that wasted. But as long as you remain loyal to us, then I can freely say that this has all gone quite perfectly." He fixed Jay with a long, friendly, almost innocent stare. "You _will_ remain loyal to us, won't you?"

"I will," Jay said, and in that moment he had forgotten all about Flame and Night and Sky, and he truly meant what he said. He didn't think he could disagree with this man even if we wanted to.

"I'm so happy to hear that, Jay," said the Man With Dark Hair And Darker Eyes, smiling again. He brought his hand forward and ruffled Jay's hair. "I'd like to meet with you once a week, from now on. We have all sorts of things to go over. Now go, we'll see each other soon. We wouldn't want to keep our friend at the bottom of the stairs waiting, would we?" He laughed.

"I guess not." Jay stood. He suddenly had a thought. "Oh, sir?"

The Man With Dark Hair And Darker Eyes had already turned to some paperwork on his desk, but at Jay's prompt he looked up and smiled again. "Yes?"

"My brothers were brought to the Lab with me. I haven't seen them in months. I was wondering…"

For the first time, the other man looked troubled. He recovered quickly, though. "Yes, I think that would be acceptable. If the High Warden can spare the time, I'll give you permission to see them every Saturday. What day is it now, hmm? Wednesday?"

"Yes, sir. Wednesday."

"Excellent." He turned back to his paper. "Well, if there's nothing else, you may go."

Jay nodded. "Thank you, sir." He departed from the office, closing the doors gently behind him.


	23. Night 4

**Night**

Every day was worse than the one that came before.

That was intentional, Night knew. They had told him almost nothing, but he had learned that much for himself.

His stomach no longer bothered to rumble. He hadn't eaten in more than a week, and he felt completely hollow inside. Over the months, his hunger had turned from a dull ache to a terrible, constant pain. It felt as though sharp steel knives were being driven into his underside, again and again, never relenting. Night was very thirsty as well, but at least they gave him a small amount of water every day. Not much; just enough to keep his throat from becoming too dry and to stave off the headaches of dehydration.

The room—which had become his home for the past three months (at least, he thought it had been three months; in this place, it was impossible to tell for sure)—was as dark as any room Night had ever been in. It was a small room, maybe ten feet across, but he couldn't even see the walls from the center.

It hadn't always been that way. When he had first entered this cell, the lights in the ceiling had been bright and warm. Every day, they had grown a bit dimmer, until they had shut off completely. And the lights had not been the only thing to change. On that first day, when Aless the banette, who had introduced herself as the Warden of the Deathseekers, had led him here, Night had been given so much food that he had almost considered the meal a feast. His bowl had been filled to the brim with cool, clean water. Multiple cushions and pillows had littered the floor.

 _This isn't so bad_ , Night remembered thinking. _I could get used to living in this room. Maybe they'll even let my brothers visit me._ That had been a foolish hope, he saw now, but at the time he had been frightened and desperate.

The first three days hadn't been so bad. Nobody came to speak to him. In the mornings, he had woken and then spent the rest of the day pacing around the room. He had eaten and drank whenever he pleased. When it had become nighttime (at least, he had assumed it was nighttime), the lights in his room would dim until the room grew very dark. At that time, Night would lie down on one of the pillows and sleep. In the morning, his food and water would be refilled, and any waste he had left in the corner would be gone. Nothing else had really happened during that time, and Night had quickly grown bored. He remembered wishing that something interesting would happen. He now regretted that wish.

 _Idiot_ , he thought at himself. _Wishes didn't put you here. Wishes don't mean a blasted thing. Not here, and not anywhere._

The pillows had been the first thing to go. He had woken on the fourth day to find them all missing, even the one that he had slept on the night before. How they (Night did not know exactly who "they" were) had removed it from underneath him without waking him, Night did not know. That morning, Night had spent more than an hour scratching at the heavy door to his room, pleading for someone to open it. He had just wanted his pillows back, and maybe to see his brothers. Nobody ever came, though, and that night he had slept on the hard floor.

Soon afterward, he had started to lose his lights. By the end of the month, they had stopped turning on in the morning. Since then, Night had no choice but to stumble through his little room in darkness. He hadn't seen any light in weeks and weeks, for he was never let out of his cell at all.

Each time he woke, his food dish had been filled less and less. Eventually it had stopped being filled daily, and he had only gotten two or three meals per week. Now he didn't even get that, and his water supply was starting to go down as well. He knew that he would soon have no water at all. _They've eased me into my torture_ , he knew.

He was very tired. The sleep deprivation had started only a few weeks ago, and it was even worse than the starvation. Night was only allowed a few hours of sleep per day. Once his time was up, a loud, shrill bell in the ceiling would ring, forcing him out of his dreams. If he tried to go back to sleep, the bell would ring again, even louder this time. There was nothing to do but stumble back and forth through the small dark room. It wasn't easy to stay awake. The lack of food and water had sapped him of all his energy.

Night had only seen another other living soul once in the last three months, when he managed to wake up at the same moment that Aless the banette was moving silently through his room.

Night had crawled toward her with claws outstretched, pleading. "Let me out. Please…please…" The words had tumbled from his mouth awkwardly. He had not spoken for a very long time.

Aless had whipped her head around to look at him, obviously surprised to see him awake. "Go to sleep, boy."

"Please…"

Her mouth had grown thin and her eyes had been full of pity. "You are not far from the end. Your training will be done soon."

"Why?" Night had gasped. His breathing had been coming in gasps. Even now he wasn't sure why that was. "Why…?"

"It must be so. To know life, you must know death. To know pleasure, you must know pain. To grow strong, you must start weak. These are the words of the Deathseekers. Someday you will understand them." Then Aless had brought her paw forward, brandishing a syringe. In the darkness, Night had hardly been able to see it. "You're supposed to be asleep when I inject you with this, but I suppose it doesn't matter."

Night had been too weak to fight her off. She had jabbed the needle into his flesh. It had hurt a little bit, but it was nothing compared to the constant pain in his stomach.

That incident had happened a few weeks ago. To Night, it felt like years had passed. _Not much longer_ , he thought now. _She promised it wouldn't be much longer. Soon it'll be over. Maybe then I can see you, Sky…_

But for all he knew, Sky was dead, and so were the others. Flame, Bolt, Blizz, and Jay. All dead. Aside from Sky, Night was most worried about Jay. He was always the little kit, so curious and weak and small. In a place like the Lab, those qualities would get you killed. _Even if any of them are still alive, they're probably all being tortured just as badly as me._

Night wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on. He could almost feel his life slipping away, slowly but surely. When, exactly, would he die? A day from now? A week? There was no way he could last another month. Would he really be let out before then, or had Aless been lying?

Well, there was really no point in thinking about all that. Worrying wouldn't change the outcome, just like wishing hadn't put him here.

Night continued to pace back and forth, though his eyes were itchy with sleeplessness and every part of his body ached. The silver bell at his neck jingled as he walked. For one reason or another, Aless had allowed him to keep it. He desperately wanted to sleep, but he had woken only a few hours ago, and he knew that as soon as he laid down and closed his eyes, the bell in the ceiling would scream at him.

When the door to his cell began to open, he was sure it was a hallucination.

The big steel door slowly pushed inward, creaking as it did so. Light poured into the room, and Night had to shield his eyes. He squeezed them shut so that he could not see, but as the door opened wider he heard voices behind it.

"Ridiculous," said one of the voices. Night thought it belonged to Aless. "Absolutely ridiculous. He is so close to being finished. I only needed one more week, perhaps two."

"I'm sorry, Warden, ma'am," said a second voice. Its owner was male, and not very old. "The High Warden needs him in three days' time. He must be taken now, so that we can get him ready to meet with his brother."

 _My brother?_ Night's eyes shot open. The light was blinding, but he didn't care. He inched forward, almost afraid that the door would shut again if he moved too quickly.

"If Jay truly cared for him, he wouldn't have interrupted his training." The door was wide open by now, and Jay could see that Aless was frowning hard. The other, an eevee, looked apologetic. "Does he understand that this could kill him?"

"I doubt that he does," the eevee said. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out what the High Warden is doing. Regardless, my orders are my orders. I'm not to return without an eevee named Night."

"Night," said Night, as if he hardly even remembered his own name. _Is it really my name? I was Dusk, too…_ He supposed that he didn't need to be Dusk anymore, though. And Sky didn't need to be Sora, either. Those names had been for when they wanted to escape from Mother and start a new life. Well, they _had_ started a new life, but not the one they wanted. "What about me?" he asked in a weak, dry voice. "What about Jay?"

Aless huffed and turned away. "Go with the Steward," she said, leaving.

The eevee which Aless had called a Steward—Night vaguely remembered the strange pokémon, whom he had named Bald, speaking to them about the different Wards—looked at him with pity in his eyes. "Always hated coming down this way. You Deathseekers are a sad bunch. I mean, look at you! You're nothing but skin and bone."

Night looked down at himself. In the darkness, he had not been able to inspect his body, but now he saw that the Steward was right. He was much smaller than he had been before entering the Lab. His ribs poked out awkwardly. "Jay," Night said, breathing heavily. "You said…Jay. My brother."

"Oh, right, I guess you wouldn't know, being in that room all this time. Well, your brother's fine, and he wants to see you this Saturday. Well, it's Wednesday now, so we don't have too much time to get you looking all proper, but we'll see what we can do. You hungry?"

At the mention of food, Night forgot all about Jay. He nodded.

The Steward led him down a lot of hallways. Night had completely forgotten how labyrinthine the Lab really was. He grew tired very easily, and they had to take multiple breaks so that he could rest his legs. After an agonizingly long walk, they came to a room with tables and a set of double doors on the back wall. The smell of food was strong in the air. Night was too dehydrated for his mouth to water, but that didn't mean he was any less eager to eat.

The Steward helped him up onto one of the benches. "You wouldn't normally be allowed in the cafeteria," he said, "but the High Warden's giving you special permission, just this once."

A few seconds later, a human emerged from the double doors carrying a tray which held a mountain of brown slop. Night began to attack the food before the man had even finished setting the tray onto the table. It was the best thing that Night had ever tasted.

The man also set a large bowl of water onto the table next to Night, gave him a quick pat, and then walked back through the double doors, into whatever kitchens lay beyond.

"Might want to slow down," the Steward said.

Night paid no attention to him at all. He continued to shove the food into his mouth and down his throat. He ignored the water for a while, but eventually he began to lap that up as well. Drops fell off of his face and landed in the bowl. At first, Night thought that it was just some water that had missed his mouth, but then he realized that he was crying.

He did not slow down until he vomited. When he realized that he had eaten too much too quickly, he leaned over the side of the bench and let it out onto the floor. His throat burned.

"Ah, I tried to warn you," the Steward said. There was a look of mild disgust on his face.

"Sorry," Night said. He tried some more of the water to help is throat.

"Can't say I blame you," the Steward said. "Doubt I'd act any differently, in your place. It's cruel, what they do to Deathseekers." He looked around the room suspiciously, though there was nobody else here. "Don't you go telling anyone I said that. Never know what the Wardens will consider betrayal."

"Why should I care what the Wardens think?" Night grumbled. He returned to the food, though he ate more slowly this time.

"Well, if you _really_ seek death, I guess you shouldn't. Though you might offend your brother, speaking that way."

Night chewed and swallowed his current mouthful. "My brother?" It took him a moment to remember. "Jay? What about him?"

"Perhaps it'd be best to hear it from him, not me," said the Steward. "Besides, there's really no reason to worry about it now. Rest easy these next three days, friend. Arceus knows you've earned a bit of rest."

Night wanted nothing more than to rest. His eyes begged to close and stay shut, and he very nearly fell asleep right there on the bench. Instead, he said, "The others. My other brothers. Are they—?"

"You're asking the wrong pokémon. I'm no Warden, only a Steward." The eevee eyed Night. "You done?"

Night looked down at the food. There was so much on the tray that he had barely managed to put a dent in it, but his stomach felt close to bursting. He wondered if he would vomit again.

"Yeah," Night said. "I'm done."

The walk away from the cafeteria was much easier than the walk there had been. Now that he had gotten some food in his stomach, his strength was starting to return to him. Of course, due to his lack of sleep, he was still much weaker than he otherwise would have been.

The Steward led him to a hallway filled with hundreds of cages, lined along the walls and stacked messily. Night realized that he was probably going to be locked into one. _I've traded one cell for another_ , he thought.

But the Steward didn't stop walking. Eventually, they took a turn down another hallway. There were no more cages to be seen here; only doors. Night could not even see the end of the hallway.

"These are the cozier rooms," the Steward said. "They're for when we need to keep a pokémon in the Cells, but don't want to shut them in a cage. You might say they're for our guests of honor. And you _are_ a guest of honor, even if you don't feel like one."

The room that Night was taken to was uncomfortably similar to his room in the Ward of the Deathseekers. Not the way it had been this morning, but how it had been on the first day. There were all sorts of blankets and pillows strewn across the floor, and there were two bowls, one filled with water and one filled the food. There were even a few toys in this cell. Night couldn't say that he was overly interested in those.

"The door locks, I'm afraid," the Steward said. "You'll stay here for the next few days, then someone will come to take you to your brother." He looked around the room. "Don't worry, this one won't get any less comfortable." Then he left Night alone in his new cell, letting the door close behind him.

Night took a quick tour of the room, and then remembered how tired he was. Half-expecting to hear that awful bell, he curled up on one of the blankets, closed his eyes, and fell into darkness.

When he woke, he felt well-rested for the first time in more than a month. _I must have slept for more than a day_ , Night thought. There was no way to tell for sure, though.

His stomach felt hollow and empty again. Standing with renewed strength, he made his way to the bowls and ate for a very long time, then washed the food down with half of his water.

After that, there was nothing to do. The novelty of being away from the Deathseekers wore off quickly, and soon he was very bored. Night paced around the white-walled room once, twice, thrice, a dozen times. Once, he tried pushing on the door, but it didn't budge. It seemed that it only opened from the outside. It only took a few hours for his pride to fall far enough for him to start playing with the toys.

He had only just picked up a small sylveon doll when the door swung inward. A human woman entered the room carrying several things in her arms. She set them down one by one: a big bag of pokémon kibble; a plastic jug of water; some cleaning supplies. Lastly, the woman set down a stack of blank white paper, and a small jar of ink as well. She laid them directly in front of Night.

 _They know I can write_ , he thought, and was unsure how he felt about that. How had the humans found that out, anyway?

The woman didn't seem to want him to do anything specific with the paper. In fact, after she set it down, she ignored Night entirely, moving around the room, refilling his dishes, scrubbing at the floor. Once she was finished, she gave Night a smile and then left, closing the door as she went.

Night considered the paper and ink. _What do they want me to do?_ Doubtlessly, they wanted him to write something. A letter to the humans, perhaps, or a journal entry about his time with the Deathseekers.

Well, Night wasn't really in any sort of mood for writing. He did, however, dip his claw into the ink.

It took him the better part of two hours, but he finally finished his rather crude drawing. He had drawn the lone oak that stood in the clearing of the Unnamed Forest back at home. Then, hanging from one of the branches, he had drawn his best interpretation of a noose. Night had originally been planning to show a human dangling from it, but in the end he had decided that it would be better not to risk enraging the men who kept him captive here. _If they hate me, they might never let me see Sky again._ The chance to meet with his twin was worth a bit of groveling.

The woman returned much later to fill his bowls again and collect the paper. She glanced at it, but her face showed no reaction. She took it with her when she left.

That was the last time anything exciting happened before Saturday.

On the morning of the meeting, he was woken by a female eevee around his own age. She looked strangely familiar, though Night was certain that he had never seen her before in his life.

"Hi!" she said as she stepped into the room. "You're Night, aren't you?"

Night nodded as he rose.

"I'm Doki. It's good to finally meet you! Jay's told me so much about you." She looked down at him, and something in her eyes changed when she saw his malnourished body.

"Jay?" Night asked. "Are you here to take me to him?" He scowled. "Nobody's told me much of anything. You're the only other pokémon I've seen for three days."

The eevee named Doki frowned. "Well, technically you're here on the orders of the High Warden's apprentice. But really, your brother just wants to see you."

"Why would the High Warden's apprentice care whether or not my brothers and I get to see each other? Why—?" Night paused. "Wait…are you saying that _Jay_ is…"

"Uh…yeah," Doki answered, and smiled. "I guess you haven't gotten the opportunity to hear, huh? One day, he'll run the whole Lab! And he's a Halfman, too."

"A…a what?"

"Well, Jay can probably explain it better than I can. Come on, let's go see him!"

For the first time in three days, Night departed from his room, and then from the Cells entirely. Doki led him down a dozen white hallways. She seemed to know where she was going.

As they walked, Night had plenty of time to think about the things he had just learned. Jay had been taken in by the High Warden. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. The more Night focused on it, the angrier he became.

They came to a closed door.

"Are you ready to see your brothers?" Doki asked.

Night nodded.

She pushed the door open and they stepped inside.

The room was small, square, and poorly lit. There was no furniture of any kind. Night nearly stepped backward; it looked quite a lot like the cell he had been tortured in for three months.

The other five were already here. There was also a sixth: a jolteon with blue-tipped ears and bright green eyes. They sat huddled together, whispering, but when the door opened their heads all whipped around to stare at the newcomers.

"Night!" Sky cried, and broke away from the others to ran at him.

Night himself did not have the energy to run, so he let Sky come to him. He was glad to see that his twin had kept his gold bell, and that Sky was not nearly as malnourished as Night was. _Actually_ , he thought, looking over at the rest of his brothers, _they all look perfectly healthy. Except maybe Blizz_. But no, now that he got a closer look, he saw that Blizz didn't look thin at all. He had certainly lost weight, but now his large frame was covered in muscle rather than fat. The jolteon was a bit on the skinny side, but as Night had never seen him before in his life, it was impossible to say whether that was due to his time in the Lab or if he had always been like that.

"Come on," Sky said, and led him into the room. Doki followed closely behind.

Jay came forward, grinning. He looked very different than he had the last time Night saw him. His mane was totally gone, which made him look even smaller. Much of the fur on his tail was gone as well. For some reason, he wore a black hat which pressed his ears down against his smile dropped a bit when he saw how emaciated Night looked. "Night! I missed you so much! You look…"

"I know how I look," Night said, more harshly than he had intended. He gestured at Doki without looking at her. "She says you're a Halfman now. What does that mean?"

Jay seemed a bit taken aback by Night's tone. Neither of them broke eye contact, though. "I've been taking serum for a long time. I can turn into a man now."

"A man?" Despite having seen Bald three months ago, it was hard to believe that such a thing was possible. That wasn't what Night was concerned with, though. "She also says you're to run this place, someday."

"That's right," Jay said, still meeting his gaze. Night could feel that some strange understanding had passed between them, but even he was not entirely sure what that meant.

Bolt stepped up next to Jay. "Night, come on, let's all talk over here." He had also noticed the effects of Night's treatment in the Dark Cells, if the wary look on his face was any indication.

 _He feels the tension too_ , Night thought. _Does everyone feel it? Or is Bolt just being as perceptive as always?_

Neither Blizz nor the jolteon had noticed anything strange, it seemed. Blizz said, "Night, bro, come meet our new friend!" He gestured at the jolteon.

"I'm glad to finally be meeting you, cousin!" he said. "My name is being Volt."

At the moment, Night didn't really care what the jolteon's name was. He continued to stare at Jay as he said, "Well, it sounds like you've had a great time here. Do you know what I've been through?"

"They told me you're a Deathseeker," Jay said.

"Do you know what I've been through?" Night repeated.

"No."

"They took me to the Ward and locked me in a room. I was there for the better part of three months. Every single day, it got worse. They took my food and my water and my lights. Now I'm starting to see that they took my sanity, too. And now I hear that you're the one who did all that to me?"

Jay's mouth twisted in anger. "I _didn't_ —"

Night cut him off. "Maybe it wasn't you specifically, but it might as well have been. I guess the High Warden gave you that hat? Do you even know what it means? It carries the suffering of every pokémon in this Lab. Why would you want to be the next High Warden? Why would you choose the Lab when you know what happens here? I thought you were my brother, Jay, but I guess I was wrong."

Jay opened his mouth to respond but Flame was faster. He stepped between the two and glared at Night. "All right, that's enough, Night."

"No," Night said. "I don't think it is. He—"

"Look," Flame said. "For what it's worth, I've been trying to tell him the same thing for _weeks_. Yeah, it's stupid to pick the Lab, but don't _ever_ say he's not your brother. That's _you_ choosing to go against your family. He never knew what was happening to you. I'll bet they kept it from him on purpose."

"If he didn't know, then he's stupid," Night said angrily. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out a group called the _Deathseekers_ aren't nice."

"He never knew you were a Deathseeker before today," Bolt pointed out. "We've met up before, Night. We've all been wondering what happened to you and Sky."

Night went to round on him, but he paused. He noticed that all of the faces present were defiant against his own. Jay still looked angry and Flame was still ready to defend him. Bolt only seemed to want to defuse the situation. Blizz stepped over to his twin as if to protect him. The jolteon named Volt almost seemed amused. Doki looked worried.

He turned to Sky, who was just staring at the floor.

"You agree with me, at least, don't you, Sky?" Night asked.

Sky looked up to meet his gaze. His eyes dropped a moment later. "I'm sorry, Night…I think Flame is right. We're still brothers. I still love Jay, even if you don't. I'm sure he's doing the best he can in a bad situation. I mean…he probably doesn't feel he can do anything different without getting into trouble, or…or killed, or something." He gulped. "And maybe it's just because I haven't gone through what you've gone through. All the humans have done to me is give me some shots and let me play with other pokémon. But I can't be mad at Jay. I don't think he's evil."

Night could not believe what he was hearing. This was _Sky_ , his twin, the one he loved, the one he had been trying to protect all this time. And even _he_ wouldn't stand by him now?

"Well, fine then," Night said, his anger bubbling up again. "You've all made it clear you'll side with a traitor. An idiot. A…a _murderer_. Enjoy your meeting. I want no part of it." He turned to Doki as he walked to the door. "Get me a Steward, if I need one. I'm ready to go back to my Ward."

Sky protested the most quickly. "No, you _can't_. Just stay here with us, Night."

"I'm not staying here with _him_ ," Night said, glaring at Jay.

"Then at least take this," Sky said. His paw went to his neck and his claw tore the pink ribbon. The bell fell to the floor. "To remember me by. Okay?" There were tears in Sky's eyes. No doubt he was wondering if this was the last time they would ever see each other.

Despite his anger, Night would not deny him this. He nodded and took the gold bell in his mouth. _Someone will tie it to my other one_ , Night thought. _Maybe Aless will do it_.

He exited the room and did not look back.


	24. Jay 8

**Jay**

The meeting did not last long after Night stormed out. Sky began to cry, and everyone else seemed very uncomfortable. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Doki suggested that everyone return to their Wards. Nobody—not even Volt—protested.

As he left, Flame sent Jay a look that might have been a glare. It was hard to be sure, though, because Jay was not willing to look any of them in the eye. _What am I doing?_ he thought. His brothers were suffering through these new, unfamiliar lives even though Jay had all the tools to free them. _Night is right. Flame was right, too, but I didn't listen to him_. Why hadn't he listened? _I didn't know it was so bad for Night. If I had known, I would have done something. I didn't know…_ But no, that wasn't the real reason, was it? He _enjoyed_ the power that had been thrust upon him in these past few months, and he did not want to give it up. Before, he had though that the uncertainty of Night's and Sky's fates were driving him to find and save them, but now he saw that that was a lie. He had not been worrying about their safety at all. He had only been abusing that uncertainty so that he could say: _Well, I don't_ know _that they're hurting, so maybe they aren't_. And with that logic, he had convinced himself that everything would turn out just fine, simply because he wanted it to. Now he had no choice but to face the facts: he could choose the safety of his brothers, or he could choose the power that came with being the High Warden's apprentice, with being a Halfman. He could not have both. He knew that for sure now.

Everyone had left the room except for Doki and Jay.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked. She gave him a smile that seemed fake. "I think it's around noon. We can go get lunch together."

Jay was not at all interested in lunch. "Doki…can I trust you? Completely?"

Her frown was realer than her smile. "What? Of course you can."

"I mean…can I _really_ trust you? No matter what I have to tell you?"

Doki looked around the room. They were completely alone. She nodded.

Jay took a deep breath. "I'm leaving, Doki. I have to get out of here. I have to get my brothers to safety."

Doki's face was a mask. "I understand."

Her lack of surprise surprised him. "You do?"

"After what happened with Night…yeah, I figured you were thinking of trying to escape. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's stupid. But I understand." She came closer, pressing herself against him. "I'm going to miss you, Jay. But I won't stop you. I'm glad you told me. I never got a chance to say goodbye to Fern."

"I'm not telling you just so we can say goodbye," Jay said. "Doki, I need your help. There's no way I can get out of here without a Steward. The doors to the upstairs can only be opened by a Steward or a Warden, right? Unless you think I can get Terrin on my side, you have to be the one that lets us through. And if you're letting us through, you might as well come with us." He paused for a moment, then continued. "You can say no if you want. I won't judge you. But it's just like back in the kitchens. I don't have a chance without you. I'll still try, but I won't have a chance. So…just answer me, Doki. I'm not gonna argue, but I need an answer. Are you with me? Are you coming? Or do I need to come up with an even stupider plan?"

Now Doki _did_ seem surprised. The two of them sat in silence for a very long time. Then she nodded.

They started for the cafeteria. Neither of them spoke. They ate. Neither of them spoke. They headed for the door to go aboveground. Neither of them spoke. Two full hours passed without either of them saying a thing.

Doki put her paw up against the sensor and opened the trapdoor in the ceiling. Jay leapt up onto the floor of the next room. Only then did Doki speak.

"When?" was all she said.

"Soon. If something weird happens, come find me."

Doki nodded, then returned to the underground. Jay was left to go to the High Warden's chambers on his own. The High Warden was there when he arrived. He was sitting on his bed, but he rose as Jay stepped onto the room's plush carpet.

"Jay. I was not expecting you back for at least another hour. Did it go well?"

"Well enough, sir." It was probably best not to let the absol know exactly what had happened in that room.

"Ah. I assume that you still want me to set up another meeting next week?"

Jay thought about it. He wasn't sure how long it would take to finalize his plan. At the moment, he had no idea what would allow him to escape this place with his brothers. It would be cruel to force Night to see him again. "No, sir," he said. "That won't be necessary. We've said everything we need to say to each other."

"That is surprising," the High Warden admitted.

"We've all changed," Jay said. "It's like I barely know them now."

"I understand." The old absol showed him a stiff smile. "I will admit that I was hoping for an outcome like this, though I suspected that it would take longer than a single day. At last, you have chosen to completely sever ties with your old self. There is no longer anything stopping you from committing your entire self to the Lab."

"I know where my loyalties lie, sir," Jay said without hesitation, and returned the smile. Somehow, without even meaning to, he had outwitted the High Warden.

"Speaking of which," the High Warden said. "It is time for your training to proceed more quickly. Your days of serum sickness are over, and you have had plenty of time to grow accustomed to your human body. You will still spend each Monday learning the culture and language of the humans, and I will permit you to take each Saturday as a day for leisure, but there is no longer any reason that you should not spend the other five days of the week learning from the Wardens."

Jay nodded. Suddenly he had an idea. "Can I choose which Ward I go to each day?"

"I can allow that," the High Warden said. "But keep in mind that I will be taking note of which Wards you attend on each day. You must give them all equal attention. If I find that you are beginning to favor one over the others, I will revoke this privilege."

"Yes, sir," Jay said. "Can I go now? I want to spend today in the Dark Cells."

The High Warden frowned. "Today is Saturday. I only just told you that you do not need to work today. You may spend the day with Doki, or one of your brothers, or do whatever else you wish, so long as you stay away from restricted areas."

"I know," Jay said. "And what I want to do is go to the Dark Cells. Resin never got to teach me everything, and I've been curious." That wasn't the real reason, of course. He had not thought about the Darkrai in a very long time, but he needed to speak to it now. Maybe he could go into the cell and beg for it to enter his dream and talk to him. Perhaps it would tell him how to escape. Or perhaps it would only ignore him, or create another nightmare for him to slog through. He had to try, though. If there was even a chance that it could be an ally…

"I sense that you are trying to impress me by overworking yourself," the High Warden said. "Free time grows sparsely here in the dark depths of the Lab. You should cherish it." He sighed. "However, I will not prevent you from going, if that is truly what you want. I will arrange for a Steward to bring you there."

An hour later, Jay stood in front of the door to the Dark Cells. He dismissed the Steward and then pushed through. Crossing the dark median room, he entered the cell which held the Darkrai.

Resin did not look over at him, even as he leapt up onto the stool. The vaporeon simply sat at his control panel and stared through the window into the Darkrai's room. For a moment, Jay was not even sure that Resin knew he was there. Then he said, "Hey, kid. Didn't think I'd be seeing you for a while."

"The High Warden wants me to train with you for a few more days," Jay lied.

"Ah." Resin continued to stare into the darkness. He never blinked, and he never looked away. A mug of cold coffee held down the deadly red button on his panel.

Jay remembered that there was something he wanted to ask the vaporeon, but he couldn't recall what it was. He teetered on his stool as he tried to think of a way to get inside of the cell. "Can I go in and feed it? I don't really remember how. It would be good for me to practice."

Resin shook his head. Even now he did not glance over at Jay. "You're valuable now. The High Warden would skin me alive if he knew I sent you in there. If he needs to be fed, I'll do it."

Well, that was a bump in the road. _How can I get him to let me in?_ He chewed on his tongue. Minutes passed, but no answers came to him. Maybe he could simply come back at night and sneak in, like he had done with the kitchens. But would that work? There was only a single hallway leading to the Dark Cells, and it was probably swarming with Watchers at all times. He supposed that he could ask Flame…but Flame might not even be willing to talk to him.

He sighed inwardly and looked down at his panel. Hundreds of buttons and switches stared back at him. And up near the top of the panel…the big red button.

Jay blinked. Pressing that button, he had been told, would lead to his death. But all it would really do is free the Darkrai. If he pressed it now…

 _No_ , he told himself. That was just stupid and dangerous. He was desperate, but not _that_ desperate. Who knew whether the Darkrai would see him as an ally or an enemy? _But if I free him, maybe we can help each other escape._

But no. It was just too dangerous. He would find a way into the cell, and perhaps then he could make some kind of plan with the Darkrai. At the moment, though, he would only be risking his life and his brothers' freedom.

He tore his eyes away from the button and looked over at Resin. Resin was no longer watching the darkness. No, now he was looking straight at Jay. And in his eyes, Jay saw confusion and distrust.

 _He knows_ , Jay thought then. _He was watching me and now he knows exactly what I was thinking. Now he's going to tell the High Warden and everything will be ruined._ And in that moment, Jay knew that he was teetering on the point of no return. It was time to make a choice. Press the button now, or try to talk his way out with the High Warden. He made his choice.

Resin had made a decision as well. They each lunged for their button at the same time, Jay to push it down and Resin to swipe his mug away. Jay was an instant faster. His paw slammed into the button as Resin swung one of his front legs toward the mug.

Loud, urgent sirens began to blare. Lights flashed on the ceiling. Resin's mug shattered against the floor. The door to the Darkrai's black room rumbled and shook and then slammed open. Inside of the room, Jay heard the sound of heavy machinery working, and he knew that the Darkrai's restrains were pulling away from its body.

"Well," Resin said, sending a sideways glare over at Jay, "all right, then."

The Darkrai burst into the control room. It was even larger than Jay remembered. Its eyes were a brilliant blue. A dark aura seemed to radiate from its body. _This really is a god pokémon_ , Jay thought, seeing its true magnificence for the first time. Even in the nightmare, it had not looked this divine.

It raised a hand toward Resin. The vaporeon grunted as he was lifted off of the stool into midair. A thin film of darkness covered his body like cellophane wrapping. He struggled but his movements began to slow and then he stopped moving completely. A second later, the film dissipated, and Resin's corpse fell to the floor. The yellow straw hat tumbled off of his head.

Then the Darkrai turned to face Jay. His body filled up with mortal panic, but he forced himself to stay strong. Remaining on the stool, he stood. At this height, they were almost eye to eye.

The Darkrai considered him. Then, over the blaring sirens, in a deep, smooth voice, it said, "Come, Apprentice. The time for our escape has come."


	25. Flame 1

**Flame**

Somewhere in the distance, sirens were blaring.

Flame ignored them. _Whatever. Not my business_. Sirens went off all the time in the Lab. Sometimes they went off when a pokémon tried to escape. Sometimes they went off for the sake of some drill. And sometimes they went off for no reason at all. As a Watcher, you just had to get used to them. When they started to blare in the area you were patrolling, _then_ you had to worry about it. But Flame was currently in the Ward of the Dreamers, and the sirens were screaming in some other Ward.

He passed a Steward in the hallway. The Steward was another eevee, maybe twice as old as Flame. Because Flame was currently invisible, it did not see him. He made quick, quiet steps around the Steward, just as he had been taught in his training.

His training had taken a surprisingly short amount of time. In addition to allowing you to become invisible, The Watcher serum seemed to instill certain instincts into a pokémon. He had only been in the Lab for two weeks when he started learning routes and patrolling Wards.

 _Why'd I have to get the boring Ward today?_ Flame thought. He had only been on this shift for an hour or so, but he was already bored out of his skull. _I wish Basher would've let me patrol whatever Ward those sirens are going off in. Sirens are cool._ But Basher had insisted that, since Bolt and Volt were returning here anyway, it would be easier on the Stewards if a single one could escort three of them at once. So here he was, walking across a boring white floor and staring at boring white walls. In the other Wards, there was usually something cool to watch. The Fighters and Rangers, for instance, held sparring matches every single day, and the Breeders had shows of their own. Most of the pokémon in this Ward were asleep, though, so he wasn't even able to listen in on any private conversations.

He sighed. Those stupid sirens were still going at it. They were starting to get annoying. _Come to think of it, they sound pretty close._ Why were they so close? There weren't any other Wards around here. Well, unless you counted the Dark Cells. _No way they're coming from over there, though_. Sirens in the Dark Cells could only mean one thing, and that one thing was _not_ good.

Flame suddenly heard rustling and heavy footsteps from around a corner. He froze; when someone unexpectedly approached, you were supposed to make absolutely no noise until they passed. You couldn't see a Watcher, but you could hear them.

The footsteps ended up belonging to a large group of humans. They sprinted around the corner at full speed. None of them looked happy. Flame saw a dozen hands clutching at pokéballs at their belts. They rushed past him in a stampede. They seemed to be headed toward the sirens. _Well_ , Flame thought, _that's ominous_. The Darkrai couldn't really have escaped, could it?

A moment later, another figure came out from around the corner. Doki. Her head swiveled around and then she ran after the humans. By the time Flame realized that it would be smart to call out to her, she was too far away to hear.

 _Yep, looks like something's going down_. He bit his tongue. Should he follow Doki? _No_ , he thought, _Bolt first_. And he found himself sprinting down the halls toward the corridor which held all of the Dreamers.

It did not take him long to get there; the Ward of the Dreamers was pretty small. He burst through one of the doors along the wall. Bolt was not there. The eevee and jolteon inside of the room all jerked awake at the noise. Flame was still invisible, though, so they didn't do much more than look around awkwardly and wonder why their door had opened on its own.

Muttering curses, Flame let the door close. He tried a second room, and this time he was more quiet. Bolt was not here, either. He tried another room, and then another, and another, and another. He must have searched twenty rooms before finding the correct one.

When he finally found Bolt sleeping on a table, he made himself turn visible and then leapt up next to his twin and batted his face several times.

Bolt's eyes shot open and he seemed to wake up all at once. "Wha—Flame?"

"Hush. Don't wake the others." Flame turned his head and saw Volt snoring. "Well, I guess we should wake _him_."

"What's going on?" Bolt sounded nervous as he shook Volt awake.

Volt grew alert just as quickly as Bolt had. "Ah, are these the sirens of freedom I am hearing?" He yawned.

"Well, _something's_ happening," Flame said. "I dunno what, but it sounds bad. I wanna go check it out." _And maybe we can escape in the mayhem_. He didn't dare to say that out loud, though.

"This is sounding very exciting, cousin! I am coming." Volt leapt down from the table.

"You too, Bolt," Flame said. "Let's get going."

Bolt rose reluctantly. Then his ears twitched and his eyes widened. A moment later, Flame found out why.

"Who's making all that noise?" a voice asked. "And why is this door open? Volt, I swear, if you—"

Aidren's words cut off when he appeared in the doorway and saw Flame. The Warden's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?" He looked around. "You're not Jay. Just because he's your brother doesn't mean you're allowed the same priviliges as him. Leave, _now_. The Lab is in a state of total panic. You're the last thing I need to worry about right now. I _will_ be telling Basher about this."

"Pass this along to him." In less than a second, Flame was invisible again. He charged at Aidren.

Aidren's eyes widened and he backed away. His fur began to crackle with electricity. Flame closed the distance between them.

Just as Aidren was about to let loose an electrical attack, Volt shouted, "You will not be hurting my cousin!" and then he ran at Aidren as well.

Aidren's attention was diverted. He looked around the room wildly, probably searching for Flame, and then shot the bolt of lightning at Volt. The electricity scored a direct hit but the jolteon remained unfazed. Still invisible, Flame slammed into Aidren and the manectric went sprawling. Flame quickly got his mouth around a big chunk of leg flesh and bit as hard as he could. The taste of hot wet metal filled his mouth and Aidren began to howl in pain. The Warden started to gather more electricity but Volt tackled him before he could let loose another attack.

Aidren flew backward into the hallway, landed on his side, and rolled back to his feet. A grimace formed on his face as he tried to support himself on the leg that Flame had wounded. He shot one last glance back into the room, and then made a hasty retreat.

Volt let out a cheer. "We have won, cousin!"

Flame turned visible again and nodded. "Won this battle, at least." He had a feeling that more would follow. His heart was beating fast. Had he really just attacked a Warden? That had to be grounds for execution. Or worse. He shuddered as he remembered the things he had seen in the kitchens. _No turning back now._

He looked over at the table. Bolt was staring at him with wide eyes. He wasn't the only one. The fight had woken the entire room. Half a dozen unfamiliar eevee and jolteon were staring at Flame and Volt in awe. They had seen the whole thing, Flame knew. They had seen him turn invisible.

"What did you just _do?_ " Bolt cried.

"Get down from there!" Flame said. "We're leaving."

"Leaving? You mean…?"

" _Yes_ , I mean. We're getting out of here. Jay's already shown that he won't bust us out, so we have to do it ourselves. Come on, already!"

Bolt jumped down from the table. He was shaking.

"Do not fear, cousin," Volt said. "The mighty Volt is being here to protect you!"

"Great," Bolt muttered as the three of them fled the room, leaving behind several confused-looking pokémon.


	26. Jay 9

**Jay**

"You shouldn't have killed Resin," Jay said. He followed the Darkrai out of the Dark Cells. A long hallway stretched out before them. The sirens continued to blare. "He was good. He didn't deserve to die."

The Darkrai responded as they started down the hall. "I will disagree with you on that. He was my captor and torturer for many years. I would be lying if I said that his death did not please me. But I did not kill him for revenge. There must be no witnesses to our escape."

"Why?"

"You will learn later. It is nothing to worry about now. I fear that we will soon have company."

Jay looked at the Darkrai nervously. "You can get us out, can't you? And my brothers, too?"

"I will try. That is all I can do. Remember that I have been locked in that machine for many years. I was once an excellent fighter, but now…I fear that I may be out of practice, Apprentice."

"Why do you call me 'Apprentice?'"

"It is a title. I say it out of respect. I will call you Jay if you wish."

"Call me whatever you want. I don't care." Jay had to run hard to keep up with the Darkrai, and he was trying not to pant. "What about you? What should I call you?"

"I do not care, either. Before I was captured, most simply called me Darkrai."

"Darkrai. Okay."

A low rumbling began to fill the air. Far ahead, a group of humans turned into the hallway. They hesitated when they saw Darkrai. Then they charged. They all had pokéballs at their belts.

"Can you take them?" Jay asked nervously.

"Let's find out." Darkrai's tone was flat and unconcerned. It raised both of its hands and produced two balls of energy. It flung the first down the hallway. All of the humans scrambled out of the way and the ball exploded against the floor. Darkrai hurled the second attack. This time, it struck one of the humans in the chest. The man fell and did not rise again. One of his allies cried out in rage and fear.

Jay grew more confident after seeing that. "They don't stand a chance against you."

"It is not the humans that I am worried about. Their pokémon are the true threat." Darkrai flung another ball of energy. Another human fell.

Jay watched the fight progress. It made him feel foolish to just stand there without helping, but what was he supposed to do? He was not a powerful fighter like Darkrai.

The humans continued their charge, and Darkrai continued to pick them off. More than a dozen had come to stop them, but by the time the humans were close enough to properly engage in battle, only four remained. They were twenty feet away now. One of the humans threw out a pokéball and summoned a heracross. A second sent out a staraptor. The third chose to battle with a tyranitar. Darkrai sent another ball at the fourth human as he reached for a pokéball. The attack slammed into him and erased his head. The decapitated corpse fell to the floor, spraying bright red blood onto the white tiles.

The three remaining humans gave orders. Jay could not understand the words. All three pokémon came forward to attack. The staraptor took flight and stretched out its sharp talons. The heracross charged with its horn pointed at Darkrai's chest. The tyranitar lumbered forth more slowly.

The heracross arrived first. Darkrai did not try to dodge. It simply reached out and grabbed the outstretched horn with both hands. The heracross came to an abrupt stop and let out a surprised grunt. Then there was a snapping noise and the heracross began to scream. It went sprawling to the ground, spilling blood all over the floor. The horn remained firmly in Darkrai's hands.

The staraptor hesitated, and for a moment it looked like it was going to retreat. But then its trainer shouted out another command, and it reluctantly attacked. That proved to be a mistake. As it drew near, Darkrai lashed out with the severed horn and bashed the staraptor in the head. It cawed loudly and fell out of the air. The tyranitar was still several feet away, so Darkrai had enough time to throw the horn and hurl another energy ball. The ball took out the staraptor's trainer and the horn impaled the heracross' trainer through the chest.

Only one trainer remained, but as Darkrai engaged the tyranitar, Jay quickly learned that it was far stronger than the other two pokémon had been. Its tail lashed out and managed to score a hit on Darkrai. Despite its earlier slowness, it dodged Darkrai's attacks with terrifying speed.

"Never killed a god before," the tyranitar said, smirking.

"Nor will you ever," Darkrai replied. Its hands exploded with dark energy and it attacked with absurd vigor.

Jay tore his eyes away to look at the other two pokémon. The heracross had fallen still, but the staraptor was slowly getting to its feet. It had murder in its eyes. It glared over at the other two. _Darkrai can't take both of them at once_ , Jay knew. The tyranitar was already fighting Darkrai to a draw.

The staraptor did not see Jay approaching, but it undoubtedly felt his claws tear into its back. It cawed in pain and glanced backward in surprise. Jay scratched again, this time at its face. The staraptor fell. He didn't know if it died or fainted. At the moment, it was hard to care.

Darkrai's fight continued. It snarled as it dodged a punch from the tyranitar.

"You can't keep up with me," the tyranitar said. "There's more coming behind us, too. You know there are. Go back into your cell like a good little god, and maybe we won't kill you."

"Why do that," Darkrai said, "when I can do this?" It shot a hand out and the tyranitar made to dodge it, but the attack had been a feint. Darkrai's other hand came forward and slapped the tyranitar across the face. The tyranitar cried out and stumbled backward. Darkrai floated forward and drove its fist into the foe's face, once, twice, three times, and as it did so it formed a massive ball of dark energy in its other hand. The tyranitar, disoriented, looked up just in time to see Darkrai release the ball. It tore straight through the tyranitar's chest and exploded out of its back, losing almost no momentum. It shot down the hallway and the trainer did not realize that he was in danger until it was too late. The attack killed him just as it had killed his pokémon.

Finally, the hallway fell still. There was no noise except for Jay's and Darkrai's heavy breathing.

"The tyranitar did not lie," Darkrai said after a moment. "Others will come to stop us. We must go."

Jay nodded. But before they had gotten halfway down the hallway, another pokémon came around the corner.

He froze. " _Doki_?"

It was indeed Doki, but she did not answer. Her eyes got very big as she surveyed the bloody hallway with horror written all over her face. Then she looked up and stared at Darkrai.

Darkrai looked at Jay uncertainly. "You trust this one?"

Jay nodded. He ran to her, and Darkrai followed. Doki accepted his embrace, but she was obviously still terrified.

"What are you doing here?" Jay asked.

She took a deep breath, probably to compose herself. Her eyes were still locked onto Darkrai. "You…you said to find you if anything weird happens. Well…something weird happened."

Despite the circumstances, Jay found himself laughing. "Well, I'm glad you showed up when you did. Can you lead us to the different Wards? We need to make a few stops."

She nodded slowly. "We'll go to the Dreamers first. It's close. And, well, Volt is there."

"Right." Jay hadn't really thought about whether Volt would come, but he figured that there was no reason not to take him. "Bolt is there too. After that, we go to the Deathseekers, Changers, and Fighters. I have no idea how we're going to find Flame, though."

"We will find him," Darkrai promised.

Ten minutes later, they met Flame, Bolt, and Volt in a random hallway on their way to the Ward of the Dreamers. Apparently, they had been headed for the Dark Cells.


	27. Night 5

**Night**

"Your training must begin anew," Aless said. "This is regrettable. The High Warden should not have allowed you to be fed. Nor should he have allowed you the freedom to see your family. Your body is already in terrible shape. I am not certain that you will survive this time. Perhaps I should simply send you the Cells…" The banette pondered that for a moment, but then she shook her head. "No, no, I cannot. You have been given the serum already, and you have been through extensive training. Oh, this visit was _such_ a mistake."

"I agree with you on that, at least," Night said. He now had both bells tied to the ribbon at his neck, and they jingled together as he walked.

He had arrived in the Ward of the Deathseekers several hours ago, and Aless had spent most of that time arguing with Stewards over what to do with Night. In the end, the High Warden himself had come to speak with her, and the old absol told her to quit wasting time and make a decision.

"I am sorry, child," Aless said. "I believe that you will die in the coming weeks."

"I know," Night said. "That's okay. I just learned that I don't have much to live for anyway." He meant what he said. He had been holding on to life for these past few months because of the prospect of seeing his brothers again, and because of the absurd hope that they were in better condition than he was. Well, now he had seen them, and now they had betrayed him. Flame and Blizz and Bolt and even Sky. All had taken Jay's side. Jay, who was being conditioned to torture and kill them all. How could they all be so blind? He never wanted to see any of them again. _I gave up everything for you, Sky_ , he thought. _Why couldn't you back me up just one time?_

He didn't even want to think of his brothers. The silver and gold bells at his neck jingled as he followed Aless down the hallway. She was hardly paying attention to him, but Night would not run. Not now and not ever. What would be the point? Without his family, he was nothing. Even if he somehow managed to get away, the rest of his life would be empty. _I guess I really am suited to be a Deathseeker_ , he thought.

"We're here," Aless announced.

Night looked up from the floor. He hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings, but now he saw that they had indeed come to the door to his dark, torturous cell. Aless pushed it open and Night made to step inside without hesitation. Then he heard a loud crash. It seemed to come from several hundred yards away.

He froze. Aless looked as confused as he felt. "What—?"

There was another crash. This time it was much closer, and it was accompanied by the screams of both humans and pokémon.

Aless took her hand off of the door and let it swing shut. Night stepped out of the way to avoid being hit as it closed. The banette turned to the source of the noise. She cocked her head.

Then a monstrous figure erupted from the darkness of the hallway. It was enormous, easily fifteen times Night's size. Its body was black, its eyes were blue, and it floated just like Aless.

It lifted a hand and a ball of writhing black energy appeared in its grasp. Aless barely had time to scream before the Darkrai hurled the ball at her. It scored a direct hit against the banette's face. Night was hurled backward by the explosion. He landed painfully on his side several feet away. When he opened his eyes again, half of Aless' head was gone. She was not floating anymore.

Before Night could scramble to his feet and try to spring away, five more figures emerged from the shadows. Jay, Bolt, Flame, Doki, and Volt. They all ran up to the Darkrai. It actually seemed to be _subservient_ to them. _What is going on here?_

"Night!" Flame yelled. "Oh, _thank Arceus_ you're here! We thought we were gonna have to go through every one of these rooms to find you!"

Night opened his mouth to reply, but he could only stutter. Something wet touched one of his paws. He looked down and realized that it was Aless' blood, which was now pooling out onto the floor. Gasping, he got to his feet and hurried away from the corpse.

Jay ran to him. "Night, I'm sorry!" He sounded like the young kit that Night had once known. "You were right. I should've gotten us out sooner. But I'm making up for lost time now, see?" Jay fixed him with an uneasy grin. "Forgive me?"

Again, Night's voice failed him. He settled for a nod.

"This is being very sweet, cousins," Volt said. "But the job is not being finished."

"Right," Bolt said. "We still need to get to Blizz and Sky. And then we need to actually _leave_."

Jay nodded, then ran back to the others. "Come on, Night. Doki, you can get us to the Fighters and Changers, right?"

"Of course," she said. "Let's go. _Quickly_." With that, she began to run in the other direction, back into the shadows. The others sprinted after her. Night blinked twice, then followed.


	28. Jay 10

**Jay**

"Only two Wards left," Flame said.

Doki nodded. "The Fighters are closer than the Changers. We'll get Blizz first, then Sky."

Jay felt guilty for being happy about that. He had to admit that he was more worried for his twin than for Sky. "We'll find them both, and then we'll get out of here. Everything will be fine." He was only speaking to himself, but his words seemed to reassure the others.

They continued through the Lab. It seemed that they could not make a single turn without running into someone. They passed Stewards, Rangers, Fighters, and humans. Most did not even try to fight, but that didn't matter; Darkrai killed them all indiscriminately. _No witnesses,_ Jay remembered.

The group moved quickly. They made good time, even with all of the distractions. Soon, they turned into the hallway leading into the Ward of the Fighters. The place was eerily quiet. Jay could no longer hear the sirens.

"This might get dangerous," Doki said. "Fighters are good at…well, fighting."

"I am better," Darkrai said. Jay was glad to see that their new ally had grown more confident.

"Yeah, you're strong," Flame said, "but can you really take out a whole crowd of Fighters, if it comes to that?"

"Don't worry," Jay said. "I've seen it fight. We'll be fine."

"Doesn't mean we shouldn't hurry," Bolt muttered.

Nobody disagreed. They continued down the passage.

"Anyone remember where Blizz's room is?" Flame demanded. "I swear, if someone tells me we have to trick Lyra again…"

"It was a big door with a big lock," Doki said. "Come on, I think I can find it."

They all trailed after her. Thankfully, nobody came to confront them.

"I think that's it," Doki said several minutes later. Jay looked at the door she gestured toward. Yes, that door did look sort of familiar.

"Wow, that _is_ a big lock," Night said. "How are we supposed to get in?"

Darkrai had already hurled a ball of dark energy. It collided with the door and sent it flying off its hinges.

"Oh," Night said.

Flame, Bolt, Volt, and Night rushed into the room. Jay and Doki tried to follow, but Darkrai held them back. "No. Not you two. You must not be seen."

Jay looked at Darkrai uncertainly, but he decided not to argue. It probably knew a lot more than he did.

Less than a minute later, the other four returned with Blizz.

"Every blasted pokémon in there stared at us the whole time," Flame confided. "Creepiest thing I've ever seen."

"Hey, Jay," Blizz said nonchalantly. He sized up Darkrai. "Whoa, I see you've been making friends."

"There'll be time to explain later," Night said. "Once we've gotten Sky and left."

"Everyone, follow me," Doki said. She started to run. Then she froze. Twenty feet ahead, humans and pokémon began to pile into the corridor. "Uh, maybe we should go the other way." But no sooner had she turned around than another group of foes emerged at the other end of the hallway.

 _So much for staying out of sight_ , Jay thought. "Uh, Darkrai? We're kind of surrounded." He tried to fight the panic rising in his chest.

"We will not be going down without a fight!" Volt declared. He crouched down and electricity started to crackle across his fur.

"Enough of that," Darkrai said. The humans were starting to approach. Darkrai looked to Doki. "Which way will take us to the Ward of the Changers?"

She looked nervously in both directions. "That way."

Darkrai nodded. "Everyone, behind me. We must punch our way through before we are sandwiched here." It took off at a breakneck pace, floating toward one of the approaching groups of trainers. Unfortunately, this group was the larger of the two. Jay and the others filed behind Darkrai.

The humans had not been expecting a charge like this. Their formation broke. Several of the humans scrambled away, but many stayed to fight. Darkrai didn't bother with the energy balls. It outstretched its hands and two of the humans in their way were enveloped by the same dark film that Resin had been killed by. Darkrai flicked his hands and the humans went flying. It did the same to anothr pair of men. There was now a sizeable hole where those four had been. Darkrai soared over to it, and the others followed. More trainers came to fill the hole, but Darkrai did not slow down. Jay's group met the humans. One of the men tried to grab Blizz, but he scratched the hand away. A wound opened in Jay's side, and he didn't know why. Volt sent an electric attack at one of the enemy pokémon.

And then they were through. The hallway before them was clear. Everyone was still here and relatively unhurt. They weren't out of danger, though; the enemies at their backs took after them.

"Doki, you need to lead us!" Jay said.

She nodded and ran to the front of the group. Darkrai and Volt sent attacks backward to slow their pursuers. Five hundred feet later, Doki took a branching path to the right. Once they had all entered the new hallway, Darkrai faced the opening and put its hands up. Another thin film appeared, covering the entire entrance to this hallway. The humans arrived and looked at the barrier with confusion. One put his hand against it, but the transparent wall held him back. A houndoom sent a wave of flames at it, but that did not break it either.

"The barrier will not hold forever," Darkrai said. "We must go. Lead on, girl."

Doki obeyed. They hurried down white pathways and took a dozen turns.

"How much further?" Night demanded. "We need to _hurry_. We need to get to Sky."

"We're in the Ward of the Rangers," Doki told him. "If we keep up this pace, we might get to the Ward of the Changers in about fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes?" Night asked incredulously. "We have a small army chasing after us!"

"She's going as fast as she can," Jay said. The wound in his side stung. He felt blood rolling through his fur. His hat was starting to come loose, but there was no time to stop and fix it.

Before Night could respond, the heavy sound of footsteps started up again from somewhere close by. More humans were coming after them.

"How could they have found us already?" Bolt asked in a terrified voice.

"It must be a separate group from the last one," Darkrai said. "The others would not have had time to catch up."

"How many blasted humans do they have down here?" Flame asked. "Doki, the big arena. Take us there, _now_."

Jay didn't know what Flame was talking about, but Doki nodded. The eight of them sprinted along, and nobody dared to look back. The footsteps of the humans were getting louder, but Jay couldn't tell what direction they were coming from.

Doki sprinted into a tall doorway, and the others followed behind her. The doorway led into a short hallway, which was narrow and perhaps thirty feet long. It opened out into a large, circular room with white walls. An enormous blue mat covered the floor. Six-tier high metal benches surrounded the room. Looking around, Jay saw that there were four entrances: the one that they had just come through, plus three other similar hallways. The entrances had been built equidistant from one another, so that the room looked like an X with a huge O in the middle.

 _This must be the arena they were talking about_ , Jay thought. "Which way do we go?" he asked as they ran to the center of the room.

"That depends," Night said. "Which hallway will take us closer to the Changers?"

"Man, _screw that_ ," Flame said. "Doki, which hallway will _get us away from those idiots chasing us?_ "

Just then, the sound of the footsteps returned. Jay didn't have to look to know that their pursuers had come to join them in this room.

Darkrai flicked a hand up, and a barrier showed up to block off the hallway that they had just left. Then the humans were there, and they began to order their pokémon to attack the transparent wall. They seemed to be more prepared than the last group had been.

"Which way do we go?" Darkrai asked calmly, looking at Doki.

Its gaze seemed to stir Doki into action. She confidently ran toward the leftmost entrance…until a second group of trainers began to flood into that hallway from the doorway beyond. Two humans were able to step into the arena before Darkrai managed to block the way with a second barrier. Volt incapacitated one of the men with an electric attack while Darkrai took the head off of the other.

With half of their escape routes blocked off by barriers, their options were suddenly very limited. But when Jay turned around, he saw that they had much bigger problems to worry about. The other two entrances had also been breached, and they had all been too preoccupied with this one to notice. Across the room, trainers and their pokémon poured into the arena.

"Oh Arceus, we're _screwed_ ," Flame shouted.

Darkrai rose both of its hands, and in seconds, the other two hallways had been blocked off as well. That did nothing to stop the forty men who had already come inside. Every human had multiple pokéballs hooked to their belts, and some were already summoning pokémon to fight. Other pokémon seemed to have no master at all. Jay guessed that they were either Fighters or Rangers. Hopefully Rangers.

The enemies began to move forward.

"Everyone, stay near me!" Darkrai shouted, and for the first time Jay heard emotion in its voice. It flung two balls of dark energy at the oncoming crowd, scattering many of them.

It was not enough, Jay knew. There were too many of them, and with all four exits sealed off, they had nowhere to run. _This is how it ends_ , he thought. _I'm sorry, Flame. You were right. I should've spent all this time coming up with a plan to get us all out of here. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry, guys…_

Volt stepped up to his right side. "Why are you looking so down?" he asked, and his face showed genuine curiosity. "This is not the day that we die, cousin."

Jay looked at him sadly, not knowing how to respond.

Blizz came forward to stand at his left. "Yeah, he's right, bro. We've faced stupid odds before, haven't we? Remember when we picked that fight with Scull?"

Directly behind him, Night said, "You'd better not be giving up just yet. I'm not leaving, dead or alive, without Sky. We need you if we're gonna get out of this. I saw how well you fought those goons that stole us and brought us here."

"And how well he clawed up my face," Flame said, and then everyone was around him in a tight circle, led by Darkrai. Even Bolt and Doki, who had never been in a proper battle in their lives, were getting ready to fight.

As the massive wall of humans approached and Darkrai continued to make dents in their defenses, Jay wondered if they really did have any chance of winning, or if his brothers and friends were just being optimistic in the face of certain death. He decided that it didn't matter. All they had was hope, and all _he_ had was hope. As long as he had that, he had no choice but to keep fighting until the bitter end.

And here was that old familiar rage bubbling up inside of him, driving him to act, to hurt, to kill. Only now it was not rage, but something else. He thought that it was pure, raw passion.

The humans engaged Jay's party. The battle for their lives—and freedom—began.


	29. The Apprentice

**The Apprentice**

Darkrai's hands moved impossibly quickly. It sent ball after ball over the heads of its allies, taking out one enemy after another. But no matter how many targets he eliminated, there was always a new human or pokémon to fill in the space that was left behind.

Everyone else knew, without having to be told, that their primary mission was to protect Darkrai. Volt worked wordlessly, using his lightning attacks to distract the stronger enemies. Night led Bolt and Doki in a tight, defensive circle around Darkrai, fending off anyone who tried to get close.

Jay didn't see Flame anywhere, but then, he had very little time to pay attention to the others. He stood tail to tail with Blizz, and together they took on every pokémon who tried to sneak up behind Darkrai. A human tried to grab Blizz, so he bit off two of his fingers. The man screamed and fell away.

Any truly dangerous enemies found themselves eating a dark energy ball just before arriving at Jay and Blizz. Darkrai was looking out for them, it seemed. Or maybe just for Jay. _You are one of the Eight_. He had never asked Darkrai what it meant by that. Jay wondered if he would ever get the chance.

As time passed, he became more and more sure that he would. Darkrai did not look at all tired, and everybody else was still doing fine. Nobody seemed to have taken any serious injuries, though Flame was still missing. Had something happened to him? No, there he was, taking on a yanmega with Volt. _How did I miss him?_ Jay wondered.

The humans were not able to breach their defenses. Their numbers started to dwindle as Darkrai killed one after another. The mat that covered the arena floor ran red with gore. Less than half of the men now remained.

Through his rage, Jay smiled. How had he ever doubted that they would win? This was so _easy_.

One of the barriers disappeared.

The humans that had been behind it had not been expecting that any more than Jay had. It took them several moments to start dashing into the room, providing the others with reinforcements. Darkrai reapplied the barrier before all of the men could get through, but the damage was already done. There were now more humans in the arena than there had been at the start.

"That's…not good," Blizz said, breathing heavily. Though he was a Fighter, it seemed that he still grew tired easily.

Jay grunted his response, then looked to Darkrai for instructions. The implications of what had just happened were not lost on him. If one barrier could lose power, then so could the others. If another went down, they would have to face even more enemies. They needed to deal with this, _now_. But what were they supposed to do? They were already preoccupied with the fifty trainers trying to kill them.

Darkrai spared him a single glance. It continued to launch attacks for a few seconds, then said, "I have a plan. Everyone, with me, now." And then Darkrai slowly started to float toward the barrier which had just fallen and been reapplied.

"What are we doing?" Flame shouted.

Darkrai answered quietly. "We cannot win this fight. Not here. We must take a chance. There is no choice but to force our way through that hallway."

They slowly inched toward the barrier, brushing off countless attacks and spilling an endless amount of blood.

As they neared the barrier, one of the other hallways opened up, and even more trainers managed to come into the arena.

"Little bit of a problem," Blizz said as the newcomers came to swarm them.

They were against the wall now, which was both good and bad. It was good because they were only taking attacks from half as many sides. It was bad because they had half as much room to dodge. The new wave of reinforcements seemed to improve the morale of the attackers, and now they were fighting even more fervently.

"I must remove this barrier," Darkrai said, then hurled three more energy balls. "I will launch as many attacks down the hallway as I am able. With any luck, we will kill everyone on the other side, cross over, then seal the way with another barrier."

"How are you going to attack the humans in the hallway _and_ the ones in the arena?" Bolt asked.

"I'm not. Cover me." Darkrai quickly turned from his current fight and faced the barrier. It evaporated. The humans cried out in surprise. By the time they realized what was happening, Darkrai had already killed several of them. The dark energy balls came quickly, and every one made a direct hit.

Meanwhile, the trainers in the arena were closing in on all sides. Volt fired off several lightning attacks, but he could not stop them all. Without Darkrai's help, there was little the others could do. Slowly but surely, the wall of enemies inched closer. _You'd better hurry, Darkrai_ , Jay thought.

Suddenly, a blast of white energy shot through the air and slammed into Darkrai's back. That brought out a pained grunt, and Darkrai stopped fighting for a few moments. The men in the hallway took full advantage of the situation, launching a barrage of attacks. Thankfully, Darkrai managed to recover quickly.

Jay looked around to see who had sent the attack. It ended up being Lyra the lucario, Warden of the Fighters. _When did she get here?_ Jay wondered. She must have come in through one of the breached hallways, because she hadn't been a part of the first wave.

Lyra had a look of intense concentration on her face. Her eyes were green, though they had once been dark. She launched two more attacks. Darkrai managed to dodge the first, but the second scored a direct hit. Thankfully, Darkrai kept his composure this time, but Jay could tell that it wouldn't last much longer under these conditions.

"Ranged attacks!" Doki said. Lyra was some fifteen yards away. "How are we supposed to stop her?"

Jay, Doki, Blizz, Bolt, Flame, Night, and Volt were together in a tight group so as to defend Darkrai. None were close enough to make a direct attack at Lyra. Volt was the only one present with ranged attacks of his own, and he tried to zap her. She barely seemed to feel it.

"She is being in a fighting trance, cousins," Volt said, and groaned. "How can we be beating a Fighter?"

"Well, I have an idea," Blizz said. He sent a look over at Jay. "If this goes badly, I'll see you around, bro." Then, before Jay could stop him, Blizz sprinted away from the others, making a beeline for Lyra. The enemies had opened up to allow Lyra to attack freely, so it was easy to get to her. Several humans and pokémon came forward to try to grab him, but Blizz dodged them all with apparent ease.

As he neared Lyra, she tried to kick him away, but he rolled out of the way and then bit a chunk out of her other leg. She was forced to stop focusing on Darkrai and start fighting Blizz.

Darkrai's own fight continued. Now that the distractions were gone, the work progressed more smoothly. Only a few men remained in the hallway. Some tried to flee once they realized they were losing, but Darkrai did not allow them to escape. Each one fell before reaching the door to the hallway beyond.

Jay shoved an aipom away and watched Blizz. He and Lyra circled one another and sent blows after one another. None of Lyra's allies tried to intervene. Whether or not that was at her wish was unknown to Jay.

Lyra was more graceful, but Blizz's attacks were more brutal. He landed heavy strikes at her legs, tearing out chunks of flesh with each one. He was bleeding as well, though not quite as badly. Then, when Blizz was trying to dart in for another attack, Lyra got her paws around him and hoisted him into the air. She held him at face level and put one of her paws against his neck as if to snap it, and for a moment Jay thought with utter horror that his twin was about to die. Then Blizz's head shot forward and his jaws found her neck. Her blood washed over him and she dropped him heavily to the ground. Lyra the lucario fell to her knees and put a paw to her throat, and the gaping hole that was left there. Her coughs were thick and full of blood.

The surrounding enemies began to attack Blizz, who scrambled to his feet. Despite his status as a Fighter, he quickly began to be overwhelmed.

"The way is clear," Darkrai announced. Jay forced himself to look, and he saw that the once crowded hallway was now devoid of life. It was not empty, however. Blood had collected into puddles on the floor and corpses had fallen together to make hills of death. At any other time, it would have been a gruesome sight, but right now it filled Jay with hope. Darkrai said, "We must go. Quickly, before this hole is filled."

One by one, the others crowded through the bloody hallway. Flame went first, followed by Bolt, then Volt, then Doki, then Night. Darkrai looked for Jay to follow, but he did not move.

"Blizz," Jay sputtered, "they…" He whipped his head around to watch the beatdown being inflicted upon his twin. Blizz's eyes still leaked green light, but he was no longer trying to attack. He focused completely on dodging, but it was not enough. He was surrounded, and he seemed to take a blow every second. It finally ended when a man approached him and slammed his fist into the back of Blizz's head. Jay's twin fell hard, and then he was swarmed.

"He is lost," Darkrai said. "Go, Apprentice."

"They're _killing_ him!" Jay screamed. He tried to run to his twin but Darkrai grabbed him by the remnants of his tail and held him back. With his other hand, he sent an attack at an approaching scyther.

"If you go, you will die as well." Darkrai's voice was disrespectfully calm.

"Let me go! _Let me go!_ " Jay thrashed violently, but Darkrai's grip was firm. His vision was blurred by tears. " _Go get him! Go save him!_ "

Darkrai's silence lasted less than a second, but to Jay it felt like an eternity. "You will spend two lives for his. Do you accept this?"

" _Kill them!_ " Jay screamed, barely listening. "Get him, save him, kill them, _kill them all!_ "

Darkrai hurried forward to obey.

"Jay!" Doki shouted from the hallway. "Come on, we can't hold this hallway forever!"

But Jay did not move. He stood in place, two feet in front of the now open doorway, oblivious to those around him. And he watched.

Darkrai's arms were alight with black energy. It slapped one man across the face and then hurled an eevee out of the way as it continued his charge toward Blizz. Humans reached out with steel weapons and pokémon sent attacks after Darkrai. Black blood began to flow from its body, but it paid no attention to its wounds.

When it finally reached Blizz, Darkrai began to send dark energy at the pokémon who had been attacking him. They quickly scattered, and Jay felt his heart sink as he saw the condition that his twin was in. Blizz was coated in blood, and Jay didn't know how much of it was his and how much of it was Lyra's.

Darkrai stood over Blizz and looked around. More than fifty enemies surrounded it. Jay did not know how it planned to get out of there alive.

As it turned out, Darkrai didn't. It picked up Blizz's barely conscious body, then _hurled_ him through the air. Blizz landed just inside of the bloody hallway with a heavy thud. He rolled several feet.

"Get in, Apprentice!" Darkrai shouted.

This time, Jay obeyed. He ran to join Blizz. No sooner had he entered the hallway than a thick, glimmering barrier appeared behind him, blocking the doorway into the arena. Looking back, Jay saw that the other barriers inside of the arena had all disappeared. _Darkrai's full strength is in this one_ , he knew. Hopefully that would make it last a bit longer.

The other five had already crossed the sea of corpses and blood, and it appeared that they were ready to leave.

"Someone _help_ ," Jay shouted at them. "Blizz is _hurt_!"

Doki rushed toward him. She looked through the barrier. "How is Darkrai supposed to—"

"Darkrai's dead," Jay said. "Maybe not yet, but it's not getting out of their alive. It knows that." _You will spend two lives for his_ , Darkrai had said. Jay was certain that this was the first life he had spent. He thought he knew who the second life belonged to, too. "It's too late for Darkrai. Just help me with Blizz."

Together, they got Blizz onto his feet. He let out a pained moan and his eyes were glazed over and half-closed, but somehow he was conscious enough to walk. Blood dripped from his fur and joined the puddles of the stuff on the floor.

Jay, Doki, and Blizz crossed the corpse-riddled hallway. Once they reached the other end and stepped out into a different part of the Ward of the Rangers, Bolt gasped.

"What happened to him?" he demanded.

"What happened to _Darkrai_?" Flame asked.

Jay just shook his head.

"He can't help us anymore," Doki said quietly. "Come on, we should hurry. Those humans know we got away. Once they finish with Darkrai, they'll come after us. There's an exit not too far from here. It's time to go."

"Go?" Night said. "No. Sky is—"

"I'm sorry, Night," Doki's said, and her gaze was like soft steel. "We can't. Not without Darkrai. If we get caught like that again, we'll die. And if we stay, we _will_ get caught again."

Night shook his head stubbornly. "No, you said it yourself, it's not too far, only fifteen minutes, that's what you said, you…" He trailed off and looked around for support. When nobody gave it to him, he looked directly at Jay.

And Jay looked away. _You will spend two lives for his._

Night suddenly grew very angry. "Fine! You can all betray him. I'm going. I don't care if I'm caught. I don't care if I'm killed. _I'm going_."

"You'll never make it without a Steward," Doki told him gently. "You'll get lost."

"I don't care!" he shouted. "You—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Volt stepped forward and touched him with a paw. Night's fur began to crackle with electricity. His face grew still and the words stopped coming.

"Paralysis," Volt explained. "He will not be resisting anymore, I think."

After that, they followed Doki, quickly and without a word. Night and Blizz were both incapacitated, but they were just barely able to walk. Jay's heart pounded as they went, but they did not run into any more enemies. He looked down a long hallway as they passed it, and wondered where it led. _Sorry, Sky_ , he thought. _I wish we didn't have to leave you._

Doki led them to another trapdoor room, one of the ones that led aboveground. Jay had not been aware that there was more than one of these rooms.

Doki quickly scanned her paw to open the trapdoor, and the seven who remained scrambled up the stairs and left the underground part of the Lab. _Hopefully forever_ , Jay thought.

"Now what?" Bolt asked.

"I don't know," Doki admitted. "I only had to study the maps of the belowground areas, and the areas near the High Warden's chambers. I don't think I've ever been up here before."

"So what are you saying?" Flame asked. "We just wander around and hope we get lucky?"

"No," Jay said. "Look, there are signs." He gestured toward one of the white walls of the clean hallway, where a blue words and arrows were written. Jay was suddenly very grateful for his ability to read the human language. "There, it said, 'lobby.' Everyone, follow me. I'll get us out of here."

From that point on, it was Jay who led, not Doki. It felt strange to be at the front of the group, but it also felt right. Thankfully, they didn't run into any humans up here. Doors had been left open and jobs had been left half-finished. It seemed that everyone had either evacuated or gone belowground to help.

There was one person who remained, though. Ten minutes later, Jay saw him as they stepped into the lobby. There was a large desk against the side wall of the room, and hallways split off in two directions. Potted plants grew in the corners. There were chairs, presumably for humans to sit in while they waited for something. Against the back wall, there was a set of heavy double doors. Jay knew that they led outside. Someone stood in front of them.

"Bald," Jay said, and the word came out as a greeting.

The other Halfman, who was also in his eevee form, smiled. "Is that what you call me?" he asked.

Jay answered with a question of his own. "What are you doing here?" The other six stepped up behind them, but they all remained silent.

"I received a call about a security breach in this area," Bald said. "You've made quite a mess, haven't you?"

"That Darkrai made the mess, not me."

"And who freed the Darkrai?" Bald's smile was dangerous. "Forgive me, Jay, for you know that I hate to accuse you of something so awful. But this certainly does look suspicious, doesn't it? The Darkrai escapes, and now you're here, trying to leave. I knew someone would come, would try to escape. I never believed it would be you, though. Why would you want to leave, Jay?"

"Why shouldn't I leave? You do." Jay used the question to consider his options. They were seven against one, but Night and Blizz were both incapacitated, and Doki and Bolt would be almost useless in a fight. That left Jay, Flame, and Volt. Could the three of them take down Bald on their own? They probably could, but it would be very dangerous. It was very possible that Bald would kill one or two of them before going down. Jay remembered how he had fought on the night that they had all been taken.

"You are not me," Bald said. "You might have been, one day, but now you never will be. The Man With Dark Hair And Darker Eyes will not forgive this."

"You're his pokémon," Jay said, and as he spoke the words he knew that they were true. "He's your trainer. What's your name, really?"

"My true name isn't given out so easily," Bald said. "Yes, he is my master. Though I would like to think that we are also friends. And I know him well, Jay. He has little tolerance for traitors."

"I haven't betrayed anybody," Jay insisted. A plan was forming in his mind, but he didn't yet know how to put it into action. "This is all a trick. A trap for them. I didn't let the Darkrai out, but I saw an opportunity to test them. See? They failed. I was going to bring them back." He didn't look back to see how the others responded to that. Hopefully, they would understand it was just a lie.

Bald's face showed that he didn't believe Jay, but he said, "Do you have any proof of that?"

"I do," Jay said. His heart was beating very fast. He wondered if Bald could hear it. "But please…don't make me say it in front of them. They're my brothers…my friends…don't make me say how I was planning to betray them right here in front of them. Please."

Bald considered that. "We are both men, Jay. Let's speak like men." He began the quick transformation into a human.

Jay did the same. He faced Bald, who was almost twice as tall. They were both naked.

"There," Bald said in the human language. "Now we can speak freely. Nobody will understand us." He showed Jay a patient smile. "If you have proof of your claim, share it now."

Jay shook his head. "They know human language. Remember when I told you how my older brother taught me? They'll understand."

Bald's eyes went to the others, and for a moment Jay was frightened that he would try to talk to them. But in the end he only said, "Fine. Come whisper it in my ear."

Jay slowly crossed the room. When they were a foot apart, Bald bent down and turned his head to hear the secret. His ear was right in front of Jay's mouth. His neck was only a few inches lower.

Jay put his head down as quickly as he could and got his teeth around the other man's throat. Bald grunted and he tried to pull away but that only made it easier. There was a ripping noise. Blood gushed into Jay's mouth and rolled down his bare chest. Bald fell to the floor and Jay watched him die. He ran his tongue along his teeth. _Sharp_.

Once it was over, Jay turned around. Blizz and Night were still half-conscious, and Volt looked impressed, but Doki, Flame, and Bolt stared at him in horror. He ignored the looks. _They'll get over it_ , he thought. They had all seen much worse today, after all.

Jay stepped over the corpse and put his hand against one of the door handles. He gave it a twist, then pulled it open. He was met with a blast of cold air. The doors led out into a parking lot. Most of the spots were empty. In the distance, Jay saw the skyline of a large city. A light snow was falling.

He was covered in hot blood, but he knew that the warmth wouldn't last long in that weather. Jay looked around the lobby and found what he knew would be waiting for him: Bald's green bathrobe. It was draped over a random chair.

He reached over and grabbed it. The robe was too large for him, but he swung both arms into it anyway. As soon as he put it on, he felt much warmer.

Then, for the first time in months, Jay stepped outside. The ground was like ice against his bare feet. The robe dragged behind him like a cape as he walked. He didn't bother looking back to see if the others were coming. _They'll follow_.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Well, there you go. Seven chapters in one 24-hour period. We've officially hit 100,000 words! The next chapter (Lem 2) will be out next Saturday. After that, I won't be able to upload anything for about two weeks, since I'm going on vacation and will have no internet connection._

 _If you've read this far without fav/following the story, please consider doing so now! It would really help me out, and you get to read one of the Book Two chapters early. Speaking of which, the time to vote for which chapter will be released is quickly running out. Go vote in the poll if you want a say._


	30. Lem 2

**Lem**

"Twins," Harmony said. She was lying down with her body wrapped around the eggs. "Touch them, Lem, go on. Touch the children we've made. But be gentle." She showed him a warm smile. Lem wondered if it was genuine.

He reached over and touched one of the eggs, then the other. They were warmer than he had been expecting, and harder as well. Lem had seen pokémon eggs before—who hadn't?—but he had never touched one until now. They felt just like rocks which had been left out in the sun on a hot day. He could almost feel the life inside of them.

 _My children_ , Lem thought. That was strange. He was two years old, and until recently he had never even thought about mating or making kits. Harmony—it was growing harder and harder to think of her as "Mother"—had taught him about those things.

She had laid these eggs a week ago, but this was the first time that Lem had been allowed to see or touch them. They had not started out as the durable objects that they were now. At first, the eggs had been tiny, fragile things, in danger of being cracked open by even the shortest fall. But they had grown impressively since then, and now they felt like they could withstand a drop off a cliff.

He sat with Harmony on their trainer's front lawn. The grass was clipped short and the air was very cold. The clouds above threatened to spill out sleet and snow. Lem wasn't sure if it was safe for the eggs to be out in this weather, but he was afraid to accuse Harmony of being careless. _She knows what she's doing_ , he told himself. _She's hatched sixteen eggs before, and I was one of them._

Lem took his paw off of the second egg. "When will they hatch?"

"It won't be long now," Harmony said. "A week, maybe two. They'll grow and grow until they're nearly half your size, and then all they need is a whole lot of love." She smiled, as if to indicate that she knew all about love. She raised her paw and caressed an egg. "Oh, I just _know_ that you've given me a daughter."

Lem did not respond. Harmony had not been mean or forceful with him except for that one time, when he and Stan had returned from the forest on the day of the bad storm. That one time was enough, though. More than a month had gone by since then, but he still felt very uneasy around her.

They enjoyed a short silence. The sun was high in the sky, and its burning warmth cut through the clouds and the cold in rays. Lem stayed out of the shade, trying to catch as much of the heat as he could. _I wish we could just go into the PC_ , he thought. The air there would be perfectly comfortable. Eggs could not grow in the virtual world, though, so that wasn't really an option. They could at least have stayed inside of the house, but for some reason Harmony insisted that the eggs should be kept outside whenever possible.

"There's something you should know," Harmony said, and now she looked sad. Her eyes did not come up from the ground. "Have you heard the news about Oliver and Stan?"

 _Oliver?_ Lem thought. _Stan?_ "No."

"They got into a fight the other day. I'm sure it was only a little game between brothers, but I guess it got out of hand. Your poochyena friend was involved."

"Caro?"

"Is that his name? You should know I can't keep up with every last one of your little friends." Harmony smiled, but there was no joy in her eyes. "Anyway, yes. The three of them got too rough with each other. Oliver and Stan only have a few scratches, but the poochyena…he's not in good shape."

"He's not…he's not _dying_ , is he?" With a sudden flush of guilt, Lem realized that he wouldn't even grieve for him.

"No, nothing like that." Harmony said. "Our trainer found out. I suppose Agga or Diane or whoever saw to them meant to keep it secret, like they always do, but somehow she found out. And she was _furious_." Her eyes grew moist and Lem wondered if she would cry. She didn't. "Scull acted out the situation for her. He must have made some mistake, because…because now she hates Stan, and the poochyena. Somehow, she's gotten the idea that they're too violent. Just because of some stupid game and because that stupid houndour doesn't know how to get a message across." Harmony finally looked up and met Lem's gaze. "They're being released. Both of them."

Lem blinked. _Released?_ "They're going away? Forever?"

"Once the poochyena gets home from the pokémon center, they'll be dropped off somewhere far away. That's what Scull says. I don't know how he knows, but I don't think he was lying."

If Stan and Caro were being released…what did that mean? For starters, he would almost certainly never see either of them again. Was that such a bad thing? He wasn't sure. "What about Oliver?" he asked.

"Our trainer is keeping him." That seemed to make her angry. "I don't know why she's only getting rid of Stan. It doesn't seem fair, does it?"

"I guess not," Lem said, and thought, _You'd understand if you just paid attention to what was really happening._

On the road beside the house, a car passed. Harmony continued to stroke at the egg. "If I had to guess, I'd say they're going to be released within two or three days. I thought that you would like to speak to go and say goodbye."

Lem thought. He remembered Stan as a young kit, only a few months old. He remembered how the two of them had spent every waking moment together, playing and laughing. Thinking about that made him smile.

Then he remembered the pokémon that Stan had become. He remembered witnessing every beating that he had delivered to Oliver. He remembered him training Split to be just as cruel as he was. He remembered how Caro had changed him.

"No," he said. "I don't have anything left to say to them."


	31. Jay 11

**Jay**

They made a quick trip to a nearby park to wash the blood from their fur. Jay led them quickly and quietly through bushes and alleyways, and they didn't come out into the open until they were sure that they wouldn't be seen.

The fountain in the center of the park was made from marble, sculpted into the shape of a large—but smaller than lifelike—gyarados. Water poured from the stone beast's mouth in a torrent, filling the deep basin underneath. Snow had piled around the edges of the fountain and along the head and back of the gyarados.

"Do we have time for this?" Doki asked nervously. "They'll be looking for us, you know. And it won't take them long to find us if we stay so close to the Lab."

"We've been walking for an hour already!" said Flame, who had calmed down quite a bit now that the fighting was over. "Anyways, humans tend to be suspicious of blood-soaked pokémon. If we go around with those two like this, it won't be long before we find trouble." He suddenly threw his head up and let out an exultant bark of laughter. " _Arceus_ , Jay, I can't believe you actually _killed_ that guy. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad you did, but…"

"I know," Jay mumbled through the robe he carried. "Someone had to do it." He could still taste the iron of Bald's blood on his tongue.

Jay was back in his eevee form now. As upsetting as the sight of a gore-covered pokémon might be to onlookers, a gore-covered human child would be even worse. Besides, he wanted to be able to talk with the others as they walked. He carried the green bathrobe in his mouth. It was heavy, and at times it impeded his ability to walk, but it felt too important to simply abandon.

"Enough with the talking, cousins!" said Volt. As a jolteon, he was the largest of them all, and so he was the one supporting Blizz, whose condition only seemed to be getting worse. "It has been too long since my last bathing."

 _Well_ , Jay supposed, _that's probably true for all of us_. The humans at the Lab didn't exactly seem concerned with the cleanliness of their pokémon prisoners. Jay himself had been given a bath once a week after his surgery, but he knew that even that was not often enough for a human.

"Come on!" Volt shouted, then sprinted from Blizz's side to jump into the fountain. Icy water splashed over them all.

Blizz began to teeter from the lack of support, so Jay dropped the robe and hurried over to help him stay standing. Bolt stepped over as well.

"Is it really safe to bathe in this weather?" Doki asked. She looked like she might start shivering at any moment, especially now that she was soaked from Volt's splashing.

"Is it safe to bathe with an _electric_ pokémon?" said Bolt, who _was_ shivering.

"Ah, you guys worry too much," Flame said with a grin. He took off at a run and splashed into the water right beside Volt.

Flame gasped and shuddered for a few moments, but then his grin returned. "C-come on," he said, teeth chattering, "i-it's f-f-fine!"

"That it is, cousin!" Volt laughed. He seemed entirely unfazed by the temperature.

Bolt grudgingly helped Jay bring Blizz over to the fountain. His eyes were half-closed and glazed over, as if he could not truly see the things in front of him. Somehow, he was able to walk, if they went slowly. He would not respond if spoken to, though.

Jay frowned. _What's wrong, Blizz? Those pokémon weren't beating you up for that long, were they?_ _You'll get better soon, won't you? You_ have _to, Blizz. I sacrificed Darkrai and Sky for you!_

That made him pause. "Bolt," he said. "Help him into the water, okay? I need to go talk to Night." He gestured over toward their oldest brother, who was sulking ten yards behind the rest of the group.

Bolt nodded and left Jay to his business.

Night was staring down at the ground, but he glanced upward as Jay approached. After a few moments, he returned his gaze downward, wordlessly. The paralysis had worn off a long time ago, but you wouldn't guess it by looking at him, or even by talking to him. Night hadn't said a word since they left the Lab.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked him.

For a few moments, it seemed as though Night hadn't even heard the question. Then he shook his head. The two bells around his neck jingled.

"I'm sorry about Sky," Jay said. "I really wish we could've saved him. I'd have given anything to bring him with us. It's just…there was nothing we could do."

 _Liar_ , his conscience said, and Jay cringed inwardly because he knew that it was true. Even if he hadn't been completely aware of it at the time, he had made the choice to save Blizz over Sky. He had to live with that now, but there was no way he was going to tell Night about that final conversation between Darkrai and himself.

"I know," Night said, and then he said it again: "I know. It would've been suicide to go after him, but…that doesn't make it hurt any less." He looked up from the ground. "Listen…those things I said to you, before we escaped…I shouldn't have said them. We'll always be brothers, Jay. I know you were doing your best to help us."

The words were another punch to the gut, but Jay only nodded. "No, I should thank you for what you said. I think I needed to hear all of that. Come on, let's go wash up. I need it a bit more than you, but you're all bloody too. Look, your paw is covered in the stuff, and you've got red specks all over your fur."

Night lifted his paw to inspect it. "Aless. Right." He seemed the tiniest bit cheerier now. "Okay, let's go."

By the time they were done speaking, Bolt had already gotten Blizz into the water, and Doki had joined them as well. Now they were all—except for Blizz, of course—playing and splashing at each other, though Bolt and Doki still looked a bit nervous about swimming with a jolteon.

Ten minutes later, they all scrambled out of the fountain with clean fur, leaving behind a basin filled with pink water. Jay had washed himself first, then run his claws through his twin's fur to get all the dried blood out. He had been hoping that the icy bath would shock Blizz back to consciousness, but he was just as gone as ever.

"Now what?" Bolt asked once he was finished shaking his fur dry. He looked to Jay.

"How should I know?" Jay said. "Doki, did you ever get the chance to go out into the city?"

She shook her head. "Before today, I'd never been outside the Lab. I mean, except for when I was really young. But that was years ago." Doki raised her head and sniffed greedily at the air. "I'd forgotten what fresh air smells like. It's been so long." She shuddered and added, "I wish it wasn't so cold, though."

"Hey, can we reminisce later?" Flame said impatiently. His fur was still damp. "Let's find some old abandoned building or an alleyway to take shelter in. You're not the only one who's freezing."

"Weren't you the one who insisted we all get in the water?" Bolt grumbled.

Jay glanced over at Night, but he was still sulking. _I guess I still need to play leader._ He wasn't sure he liked that.

"There's no reason to go find shelter," Jay said. "It's winter, right? The air's gonna stay like this for months, and we don't have months to get away from here. The humans at the Lab may have already sent someone after us."

After all, Bald had warned him about the Man With Dark Hair And Darker Eyes. He was not the sort of man to forgive betrayal.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Flame said. Jay was glad to see that this would not turn into an argument. "But what will we do, then. We need to get home, right? But we don't know where home is, or where we are, or how we're gonna survive on the trip home. I mean, we need to eat and—"

"Do not be worrying so much, cousins!" Volt announced triumphantly. "Remember, you are having the mighty Volt with you!"

"Oh, that's right," Doki said, looking at him. "Volt, you must have explored the city when you got out with Fern. You think you can show us around?"

Volt nodded. "Sister and I were spending many days here before moving on. I am thinking that's why they found us."

"Well, we'd better not make that same mistake, then," said Bolt. "Can you just take us somewhere to get food, then lead us out of the city?"

Volt said that he could, and so they left the park with the jolteon at the front of the group, moving slowly to support Blizz. All agreed that it would be best to remain scarce while they were near the Lab, so they stuck to alleyways and empty roads whenever possible. The only humans they passed were a group of schoolchildren who appeared to be absolutely enamored with the band of travelling eevee. They moved passed them quickly enough, and before long Volt had led them to a busier part of the town. The streets were clogged with afternoon traffic and the sidewalks were bustling. There were all sorts of business and buildings around here.

"I can smell the food," Flame said as he sniffed. They were taking cover in a dark, obscure alleyway. It was unlikely that they would be seen even if someone were looking for them. "We gonna steal from a restaurant?"

Volt shook his head. "Restaurant food is not lasting long, cousin. We would be getting sick if we took it with us. Our adventure is being over there."

Jay looked at the building that Volt had gestured toward. It seemed to be a very large grocery store. He wanted to ask questions, but he still had Bald's robe stuffed in his mouth.

Thankfully, Bolt was curious as well. "Okay, what's the plan?"

"We will be needing a distraction, of course," Volt said. "Humans are being very greedy. They won't be sharing with us, even if we ask. So some of us must do the distracting, and others must do the sneaking and stealing."

"So, what?" asked Flame. "We send the cute ones to go mess with the humans while the rest go deeper into the store to find food?"

This, of course, led to a very long conversation about who was cute, and who was not, and who was sneaky enough to steal the food without getting caught. It was unanimously decided that Doki was very cute but not very daring, and so she was assigned to the group of distracters. She wanted to stay by Jay's side, but he pointed out that, without his mane and tail, he just looked kind of weird, and the humans might assume he was sick and try to get him treated. Doki tried to disagree, but eventually Jay won the argument, and it was decided that he would help steal the food.

Volt was by far the most active member of the discussion, but in the end everyone else decided that he should stay in the alleyway to look after Blizz. He was too large to prowl around unseen, and Bolt reasoned that, since he was a jolteon instead of an eevee, the store employees might just see him as cool rather than cute. Therefore, he would not be a very good distraction. "I am cool _and_ cute," Volt insisted loudly. "Cooler and cuter than all of you!" It did him no good, though, and he begrudgingly accepted his fate.

That left only Bolt, Flame, and Night. It didn't take long for Bolt to join Doki, or for Flame to join Jay, but Night didn't seem to care either way. Jay was just about to suggest that he stay behind with Volt and Blizz when Night finally agreed to help steal the food.

Ten minutes later, Jay, Night, Flame, Doki, and Bolt left the alleyway, carefully crossed the busy street, and approached the store.

"You guys know what to do?" Flame asked Doki and Bolt.

They nodded. Bolt said, "Shouldn't be too hard. Humans love eevee, right?"

With the bathrobe still in his mouth, Jay watched as the other two made their way across the store's concrete patio. There were a lot of customers walking around, and most of them seemed to enjoy seeing Bolt and Doki.

Jay couldn't help but frown. _Was this really a good idea?_ he wondered. _If any of those people work for the Lab, or even know anything about it…_

Well, there was no reason to get so worked up about it. With any luck, they would be far away from here by nightfall, so it probably wouldn't matter who saw them.

Jay allowed for a minute or two to pass, and then he turned and started walking toward the store's backlot, where shipping trucks dropped off inventory. He gestured for Flame and Night to follow.

One of the huge industrial doors was slightly open, so they ducked under it and came into a room full of supply boxes and machinery. A small forklift sat parked in the center of the backroom, still and lifeless. There was a lone man moving around, but he was easy to avoid. Jay, Flame, and Night made their way to a set of double doors which led out into the rest of the store.

Instantly, Jay was hit with a strong wave of good smells, so powerful that it made him feel lightheaded. The smell of baked and baking bread mingled with the scents of fresh meat, and he could almost _feel_ the greenery of the produce. It was almost enough to make him drool. Jay looked over at Flame, and saw him sniffing the air wistfully. Night didn't seem interested.

Jay frowned. He had been hoping that Night would be a bit more spry after their talk at the fountain, but it seemed that he had just slipped back into his depression. _Maybe we should've just left him with Volt_ , Jay thought. _In this state, he might get us caught._

He hadn't spent much time thinking about what they would do if they _did_ get caught. _We'll just run, I guess_. That's what Blizz always did back at home.

Dragging the robe along, Jay looked down one of the aisles to look at the front of the store. There was a _massive_ crowd of people gathering around—both employees and customers. Jay could just barely make out a bit of brown fur among the humans.

"Y'know," Flame said, stepping up beside him, "sometimes I think humans like our species a little _too_ much."

Unable to speak with the robe in his mouth, Jay tried to shrug, forgetting that he wasn't in his human form. It came out rather awkwardly, so he shook his head instead.

The store was larger than any store Jay had ever been in. There were dozens of aisles, and soon they found the one which contained nonperishable food. Thankfully, there was nobody around to catch them snooping. It seemed that nearly every customer had gone to see Doki and Bolt.

Jay finally spat out the robe. "Help me straighten this out," he ordered. Once it was done, he said, "Good. Now let's pile cans onto the robe. Once we have enough, we'll work together to carry it out of the store."

"Wait," Flame said. "How are we gonna open the cans?"

"In case you haven't noticed," Jay said, jumping up and swiping a plastic can opener off one of the shelves, "my paws can turn into hands."

It took a while to gather the cans, mostly because Jay and Flame disagreed on what kinds of food they should bring with them. By the time they were done arguing, Night had already silently gathered most of what they needed.

The robe was very heavy with its new load, but with all three of them carrying it, they managed to get it off the ground. It was awkward to move and Jay was very worried that a human would come by and see them at any moment, but their distraction had, apparently, worked flawlessly.

On the way out of the store, Jay swiped a map which was taped to one of the walls. Somehow, nobody saw them as they exited. They had to carry the robe down several hundred yards of sidewalk and they passed many people on the way to Volt and Blizz, but none of them did anything but send the trio some strange looks.

Volt rose to help them as they stepped back into the alleyway. Blizz's eyes were closed and he was sitting against the wall.

"I was hoping he would be awake by the time we got back," Jay said once they had dropped all of their supplies. His mouth was sore from carrying around the robe and cans.

Volt shook his head. "I was trying, cousin, but nothing I did could make him snap out of this."

Jay frowned and sat down next to his twin.

A few minutes later, Doki and Bolt entered the alleyway, looking far too happy. They each carried a large loaf of warm bread.

Bolt spat his loaf out next to the cans. "Well, that went…surprisingly well. I guess we didn't even need to steal. They loved us so much that they just gave us food for free. I think if we had stayed a few more seconds, one of those humans would've pulled out a pokéball and tried capturing us."

Doki placed her bread beside Bolt's. "Nobody saw you guys? You weren't followed or anything?"

Jay confirmed that everything went as planned. Then he suggested that they eat the bread now, since it would turn stale and moldy if they tried to save it. Nobody disagreed, so Doki divided the food up into seven equal shares and distributed it out. Blizz was in no state to eat and Night claimed that he wasn't hungry, so Doki split those bread pieces in half and let Jay, Flame, Volt, and Bolt eat them.

"It's not healthy to just let Blizz starve," Jay said as he nibbled on his bread. "He has to eat. Night, you should eat too."

"I already said I'm not hungry." Night was staring at nothing in particular.

Jay frowned, but before he could say anything else, Volt jumped up, finished with his food.

"There is no more time to be waiting around, cousins!" he said. "Come, I will lead us from this city." Then Volt picked up the robe, cans and all, as easy as if it were made out of air. He mumbled something else, then started to walk deeper down the alleyway, away from the crowded street.

They continued on for hours. Volt never asked for a break from carrying the heavy load. Blizz remained unconscious. As the sun crept downward and the sky got darker, the concrete of the city slowly gave way to grass and dirt. They stayed near a long, busy road, and soon there was no civilization _but_ the road. A small forest spread out at its sides, and that's where Volt and the six eevee took cover. The foliage of the trees provided some nice cover from the snow, but the shade made the air even colder, and so did the coming night.

Finally, just as Jay felt that he could go no further, they found a cave that had formed in the side of a small, rocky hill. It was small and dark, with jagged walls, but it was better than sleeping in the snow.

"Do you think it's safe to stay here?" Bolt wanted to know. "Will they follow us this far?"

"Probably," Doki admitted. "But if we're lucky, the humans will spend the first few days searching through the city. Once they're sure we're gone, _then_ they'll send Rangers after us. We'd better be in Jubilife before that happens."

Volt set the robe down on the cave floor, and Jay went to retrieve the map that he had stashed there.

"Right," he said. "Night, come help me read this map. You and I are probably the only ones who can make out the words."

Grudgingly, Night obeyed. Jay spread the map out on the cave floor, and then he and Night spent the next hour trying to figure out a route back to Jubilife, and back home.

"Look," Night said, moving his paw along the paper, "this way will get us there the quickest."

"Yeah," Jay said, "but the humans will _expect_ us to go that way. Bald is dead, but those other men with him will know where we came from. They might even have records or paperwork about it or something. If they end up sending Rangers after us, that's where they'll go. If we take _this_ route, we'll be walking for another week, but we'll also be a lot safer."

Bolt joined in on the conversation. "But then they might just stay in Jubilife and wait for us. The way I see it, we only really have three options. First, we can take the quickest, most direct route, and go as fast as we can. Second, we can do what Jay said, and take a different way. If we do that, we won't be able to get home for a long time. Not until we're absolutely sure that no Rangers or humans will be waiting at our trainer's house to intercept us. Or..." Bolt hesitated for a moment. "Or we could forget about our old home, and make a new life."

"Screw that," said Flame, who had been gnawing on a can of spaghetti, trying to get it open. Evidently, he was not patient enough to wait for Jay's help. "I don't care how long it takes, we're getting back to our trainer."

"And we're getting there quickly," Night said. He turned away and stepped toward the robe, which was spread out on the ground. Volt and Blizz were asleep on it. "I'm sick of being gone. I don't care how dangerous it is, I just want this to be over." Then Night curled up next to Blizz and closed his eyes. Apparently, that was all he had to say or hear on the matter.

Jay frowned. "Well, I guess we'll sleep on it. Flame, stop it, you're gonna break your tooth on that can. Here, give it to me."

A few minutes later, Flame was eating happily. By then, Night was snoring on the robe.

"Has anyone seen Doki?" Jay asked. He looked around the cave, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Out there," Bolt said, gesturing toward the cave entrance.

Jay looked outside. He could just barely make out her silhouette against the night. "What's she doing?"

"I dunno. Go ask her." Bolt moved to take some of Flame's food.

When Jay stepped up beside her, she was staring up at the sky. She looked over when he sat down next to her. Shadows fell away from tree trunks and made the ground as black as the sky. Plenty of stars were visible, though not as many as he would have been able to see in Box Four. Snow continued to drift lazily.

"What are you thinking about?" Jay asked.

Doki looked back at the sky. "Nothing, really. It's just that I haven't been outside in so long, y'know? I never realized how much I missed all of this...the air, the stars, the grass. The freedom."

"We're not free yet," Jay reminded her.

"I know. It's still nice, though. I never though I'd get to do all the things I wanted to do with my life, but now I actually have a chance. Maybe someday, I'll get to evolve. Most Stewards don't ever get to."

"You want to evolve?" Jay asked. _Well, of course she does_ , he thought. _Who doesn't?_ But then he realized that he himself had never given his future evolution much though.

"I've always wanted to be a sylveon," she said. "That gave me a better chance than most Stewards, since I wouldn't actually need a stone to evolve. But..."

"But what?"

"Well, I may not need a stone, but you can't evolve into a sylveon unless you're really happy, and unless you love someone. I don't think it really matters who you love, or what type of love it is. It could be a sibling, a friend, a mate. I don't know." She paused. "I was never happy in the Lab, and I was never able to love anyone until you guys came along. But now that we're away from that place...maybe I can find some happiness."

"You will," Jay promised her. "We all will."

She smiled and nodded, apparently content. "What about you? What will you evolve into?"

"I dunno," Jay said. He started to think about it, and he remembered some of the conversations he had back in the Lab. "Doki, do you think I'm gonna keep losing my fur, until I look just like Bald?"

"You probably will," Doki admitted. "I guess that's a shame, huh? You'll get some strange looks."

"Not if I evolve into something that doesn't usually have fur."

"You want to be a vaporeon?" Doki looked at him inquisitively. Snow and water dirtied her face. "Are you just saying that because of...well, something about Resin? You know what happened to him wasn't your fault, right?"

"It's not because of Resin," Jay said, and he wasn't sure if he was lying. "It just makes sense, doesn't it? I'll actually look normal. Anyways, I don't even know if I can evolve. I think Resin told me once that Halfmen _never_ get to. But I never asked him if they just weren't allowed to, or if it wasn't possible."

"I'm sure you'll get to, Jay," she said, smiling down at him. "Just like you're sure I'll be a sylveon, someday. You—"

She was cut off by a set of footsteps approaching them from behind. Jay turned around and saw Volt walking up to them.

"Volt?" he asked. "When I left the cave, you were asleep."

"This is not being the time for sleeping, cousin," Volt said happily. "I must be going. Sister will be waiting for me."

"Going?" Doki asked. "Wait, you're leaving?"

"Of course!" Volt said. "Were you thinking I would be living my whole life with you, cousin? I must be off."

Jay frowned. "At this hour? In this weather? With no supplies? I never saw you eat any dinner, and you hardly slept at all."

"I was being a Seer for more than a year, cousin," Volt said. "I have been doing too much sleeping. Do not be worrying about me. I am thinking we will be seeing each other again. Farewell, cousins." And without another word, Volt began to walk again, into the darkness of the forest. He kept his eyes forward and did not look back as snow settled on his back and head. Jay and Doki watched in confusion as the jolteon departed.

Then they heard Bolt's voice from the cave. "Jay! Doki! Get in here! It's Blizz! He's waking up!"


	32. Oliver 8

**Oliver**

Oliver woke in the clearing they had found a few days earlier. As always, he became alert immediately, but he kept his eyes closed for a few moments to savor the nice dream he had been having. Light from the sun bore through his eyelids and he could feel the rough bark of the oak tree at his back. The air smelled crisp and green. These things felt strangely safe to Oliver, and it that moment he realized that this was, perhaps, the first time he had ever woken up comfortably. Things were finally fine.

Split was still snoring beside him, so Oliver shook him awake. "Come on," he said without a hint of sleepiness in his voice. "Get up, Split. We might have overslept." It was, like always, impossible to tell the time in Box Four, for the sun was in the same position as it always was. "The eggs are gonna hatch."

Split yawned and blinked morning tears from his eyes. "Oh…all right," he said drowsily. "I kinda wish we could just sleep instead."

"I've never seen an egg hatch," Oliver said, rising and stretching his legs. "I'm going. You can stay and sleep if you want."

Split rose quickly enough after that, as Oliver had expected he would. "No, no, I'll go with you." He had gotten a bit better, but it seemed that Split would never stop being a follower.

It took them the better part of an hour to exit the forest and make their way to the control room. From there, it took less than a minute to leave the PC and go out of the open front door of their trainer's house. As many as fifty had already gathered on the lawn. It was not snowing today, but it was still rather cold. Oliver's trainer stood nearby, looking excited. Harmony and Lem sat in a sunny patch of grass with their two eggs, and everyone else surrounded them in a rough circle. He saw his other brothers in the circle, and his friends from Box Two. Agga had come as well, and Diane the lopunny, and all of her siblings. It seemed that half of the pokémon who lived in the PC were here.

Oliver and Split stepped up beside Scull. The houndour looked over and greeted them with a nod. Kick waved, and Skitty smiled at them. She had grown less hostile toward Split recently.

"Are they gonna hatch soon?" Oliver asked.

"Can't really say for sure," Scull said. "Don't know a lot about eggs."

"Ah, come on, Scull," Skitty said. "You're supposed to be the guy who _knows things_. Do I really have to pick up the slack here?" She gave a huge, exaggerated sigh. " _Yes_ , they'll hatch soon."

"How can you tell?" Split asked.

"Girl's intuition. Also, Harmony told me."

Sure enough, ten minutes later, Harmony let out a gasp and began to gesture frantically at one of the eggs. Oliver watched as it started to shake and vibrate. Something inside of the egg seemed to be hitting the shell. With a sharp noise, a long crack suddenly appeared on the egg. Another soon followed it. And then a very small paw broke through the shell and escaped into the cold morning air. It retreated into the egg, then came out again to break another chunk away from its prison. Four more hits opened a hold large enough for the newborn eevee to wriggle its head through. The fur on its face was light brown, and so thin that Oliver could see the pink flesh underneath. Its eyes seemed to be squeezed shut in protest of the day's light.

As the eevee finally managed to escape the egg, their trainer let out a high-pitched _squee_ and ran forward to embrace it. She held it in her arms for a few moments, stroking its fur, then returned it to the ground beside Harmony. The human girl said something in her foreign language, but of course none of them understood her.

"He's so _cute!_ " Skitty cooed.

" _Is_ it a he?" Rush asked.

"I dunno. Probably."

Seconds later, Skitty's hunch was confirmed, when Lem nervously announced to everyone that the kit was, in fact, male. Most of the crowd seemed perfectly delighted at that news, but Oliver did not miss the disappointment in Harmony's eyes.

The next few minutes were a flurry of noise. It seemed that every member of the crowd wanted to see and touch the newborn. Oliver stayed back and watched.

"How long until the next one hatches?" Oliver asked Scull. He would have asked Skitty, but she was across the lawn, adoring his new brother. Split was over there as well.

"Agga says they'll both hatch today," Scull said. "It might be a couple more hours, though. I think most of this crowd is gonna clear out until they hear it's getting close."

Oliver looked over at where Split, Skitty, Harmony, Lem and the newborn stood. "I'm gonna go out for a while," he said to Scull. "I haven't seen Nigel in a few days."

"Sure. Be careful, okay?" Scull had grown a little less protective now that Stan and Caro were gone.

Oliver nodded.

Some time later, he made it to the hill. It wasn't particularly difficult to find Nigel; he rarely left his den during the day, and Oliver had gotten used to catching him over the last couple weeks.

Nigel gave an exaggerated sigh when he saw Oliver approaching. His smaller heads were nowhere to be seen. "Good morning, child. Are you here to interrupt my business again?"

That was pretty much how Nigel always greeted Oliver. He wasn't sure, but Oliver thought it was just the dugtrio's own strange way of being friendly.

"I guess," he said.

"Bah! Fine, then. Come, we will hunt."

Oliver followed Nigel eagerly; he had grown to enjoy the taste of fresh game. They always hunted together during Oliver's visits.

Before they had gone more than a few dozen feet, Nigel stopped, so abruptly that Oliver nearly walked into him.

"Child," he said. "I have told you before to be careful on this hill. Are you certain that you were not followed?"

"Uh...I wasn't really paying attention," Oliver admitted. He looked around nervously. There were trees and bushes all around them, growing jaggedly out of the slanted ground. "Why? You think something's stalking us?"

"I do," Nigel said. He began to move again. "Come, there's no point in letting it know that we're aware of it. If it tries to surprise us, then maybe we can catch _it_ off guard."

"How can you even tell something's there?" Oliver asked, jogging along beside him.

"My other heads are below ground, waiting and watching." Nigel's eyes lost some of their focus. "Even from this far away, they can communicate with me. The three of us are one and the same, after all." Suddenly he let out a soft chuckle, and he seemed to come back to reality. "Oh, but there's nothing to worry about. My heads have just told me that it is only some young poochyena. On top of that, it appears to be injured."

Oliver stopped. "A poochyena?"

"Yes. Surely you and I can take it down without much effort. Shall we go after it?"

Oliver shook his head. "No. But I think I'd better go see him myself. You're sure he's alone? He doesn't have an eevee with him?"

"He is alone." Nigel glanced at him inquisitively. "You know the boy?"

Oliver nodded.

"I see. Yes, perhaps it _would_ be best for you to see to him yourself. There is more wilderness in you than you know, boy. At least, you seem to understand our ways."

"I guess."

"I do not think I will be able to save you if things go poorly, child," Nigel said. "So _do_ be careful."

Oliver nodded, then started to climb further up the hill.

He didn't stop walking until he reached the very edge of the cliff. This time, there was no fog to obscure his view. Far below, a green sea of grass and forestry stretched out for a long, long way. Beyond, Oliver could see a huge blue lake. Several miles to his right, he could see where the suburban neighborhood continued. The sky was almost cloudless. The view calmed his nerves, and he wanted nothing more than to sit down and stare for hours.

But there was no time for that. He turned around.

Their eyes met. Caro's gaze was murderous. The poochyena's face was still red and rough with scratches. The eye Oliver had jabbed was scarred and specked with dead white spots.

"I knew I'd get you on your own eventually," Caro said, and his mouth broke out into a twisted grin.

It would have frightened Oliver a few weeks ago, but now he was indifferent. "I was sure Stan would be with you. Where is he?"

"Why should I answer a dead boy's questions?" Caro said, and snorted. "There's no houndour to save you now, freak."

"Save me?" Oliver could not help but laugh. "It wasn't me he saved. If he hadn't pulled me off you, you'd be dead. I've beaten you once, and I can do it again. I'm not scared of you anymore."

"You should be," Caro growled. "I still want that eye."

Oliver said, "Come and take it."

Caro charged.

The fight—if you could even call it a fight—was pitifully short. Oliver watched the poochyena sprint toward him, watched him leap, watched him soar through the air. And Oliver simply jumped out of the way. Then he sat back and watched, wondering if Caro had even considered that Oliver had intentionally placed himself right at the cliff's edge.

Just before he slammed into the ground, Caro seemed to realize his peril. He let out a short whimper, hit the ground, and then his scrambled his legs in a mad dance to keep his momentum from taking him over the edge. Somehow, he succeeded. It looked like Caro was not going to fall to his death after all.

Oliver stepped forward and pushed him.

Caro yelped as he was forced backward. Raw, primal fear filled his eyes. His claws broke off against the rocky ground. And Caro fell.

Several seconds later, Oliver heard the distant thud. He peered over the cliff and found the corpse as a speck of dark gray against a green backdrop.

 _You were wrong, Scull,_ Oliver thought. _It wasn't just the heat of battle, I really did want him dead._ But Scull would never know that. Nobody would. Before long, some scavenger would come and find the body, or else it would be buried by snow in the coming days. And anyways, there was no way to link the death to him. He smiled at how convenient it was.

Oliver turned away from the cliff and started the long walk home.


	33. Night 6

_**A/N:** The sample chapter poll (which can be found on my user profile) will close when the next chapter is uploaded. This is your last chance to vote._

* * *

 **Night**

Blizz couldn't remember a thing.

In one moment, he had been sleeping heavily on Jay's bathrobe inside of the small cave they had found, dead to the world outside of his head. In the next, he had begun to thrash about, stirring Night from his own sleep. Then Bolt had appeared, shaking them both and making entirely too much noise. When Blizz had first woken, he hadn't even seemed to recognize them.

Bolt had been sure that his amnesia would pass in time. In some ways it had, and in other ways it hadn't. It had only taken a small amount of prodding to get Blizz to recall all of his brothers' names, but he hadn't been able to remember Doki, or the Lab, or any of their old childhood memories despite everything they had tried.

 _He's lucky_ , Night thought as they all walked down the dirt road, forestry all around them. _I wish I could forget_. Then he felt guilty for two reasons: because Sky didn't deserve to be forgotten, and because he knew that Jay was taking his twin's memory loss very hard.

 _No, not Jay. Vay_. Night's little brother had very suddenly decided that he wanted to evolve into a vaporeon, and since then he had begun to insist that they all call him Vay. Night would never mock or protest that decision; a name was a very personal thing, and every pokémon had the right to change theirs at any time for any reason. Even Night had changed his name when he was very young, and had temporarily done it again just a few months ago. Still, it was a hard thing to get used to, and he and all of his brothers were having a hard time adjusting to Vay's new name.

Their party had grown far less energetic since Volt had disappeared in the middle of the night. Nobody seemed very interested in talking anymore. Flame and Doki and Bolt did their best to keep everybody's spirits up, but only Blizz seemed to appreciate their efforts. Night himself hadn't been able to improve his own mood (he was currently trying very hard to convince himself that he was not merely being sulky), and Jay—or rather, Vay—didn't seem much better.

They had been traveling for more than a week, mostly through forests, grassy plains, and the occasional small town. The cans of food had long since run out, so they had stolen more. They had also stolen a few bags so that the food could be divided and carried by several pokémon at once. Blizz, Flame, and Bolt were carrying them right now.

"How much longer?" Blizz whined in a voice muffled by the bag straps in his mouth. "Are we almost home?" It was not the first time Night had heard him ask these questions.

"I think that we must be," Doki said. "Jubilife can't be too far away, and from there it's only a few more hours of walking, right?"

"We would already be there if we had just taken the highway like I wanted," Night grumbled. Everyone else had voted to take this obscure nature trail instead, as there was no forest to cover them near the major road which led to Jubilife.

"Oh, don't be such a downer," said Doki. "At least this place smells nice, and we get to be near the trees and away from whoever might be sent to recapture us. And that goes for you too, Jay. I mean, Vay. Try being a little more positive. We're almost there."

Vay didn't respond and Night was a little annoyed too, but he supposed that he couldn't fault her for her optimism. Everyone seemed to be feeling a little better now that their journey was almost finished.

"Well, either way, we're not getting there today," Night said. "It'll be dark in a few hours. See? The sun is on its way down."

As it turned out, a few hours were all they needed. Before long, Jubilife's skyline became visible on the horizon, and after that it was only a short walk to civilization. The sun was setting as they neared the city.

"It might be safer to sleep in the forest tonight," Bolt said. He, along with Flame and Blizz, had set his bag on the ground for the moment.

"Yeah, safer from humans," Flame said. "But not from pokémon. I'd rather not wake up to an angry ursaring growling in my face. Come on, we'll be fine in the city. I'm sick of sleeping in the woods."

After a very long discussion, the group decided to do as Flame suggested. By then the sun had gone down, so it was very dark as they made their way through downtown Jubilife. They found an alleyway to sleep in. There was a poochyena living there, but it ran off as soon as it saw them approaching.

It was their last night before home, so it was decided that there was no reason not to eat the rest of their supplies immediately. Vay opened most of the cans and containers of water—leaving a little for breakfast tomorrow morning—and then they had a proper feast. Even Night was feeling better by the end of it. But Vay slunk off to bed as soon as he politely could.

 _He really is taking Blizz's amnesia hard_ , Night thought as the others talked and laughed over their food. _It can't be easy to have your twin forget all about you and the time you've spent together._ _I guess that I of all pokémon should understand._ It had been very difficult to keep Sky off his mind as they traveled. _I'll have to talk to him tomorrow, once we're safely home._

The next morning, everyone was eager to head off immediately. Bolt pointed out that there was really no reason to continue carrying what few supplies they had remaining after breakfast. And so they left everything behind them in the alley, even their map. The only thing they kept was the green, bloodstained bathrobe which Vay had won from Bald.

 _Now this is the most dangerous part of the journey_ , Night thought nervously as they set out from the city. _If those humans really want us badly, all they have to do is send a car or a fast pokémon to cut us off just before we reach our house._ The likelihood of that possibility hadn't occurred to him until that very moment, and it scared him. If those humans had records about where the twins were originally stolen from—and they probably did—then it would be very easy to catch them. It really just came down to whether or not the humans wanted to devote that many resources toward them. And considering how important Vay seemed to be in the Lab…

 _There's no use in worrying_ , Night decided. _Either they'll catch us or they won't_. There wasn't much point in bringing the issue up to the others, either. _It would only worry them_.

The last thing Night wanted to do was worry them. His brothers and Doki were getting more cheerful by the second. _And why shouldn't they be cheerful? We're going home. I hope._

They were in the suburbs now. The sidewalk seemed to stretch on forever. Every passing car spiked Night's nerves.

And finally, their trainer's house came into view. When Night first saw the crowd gathered on the front lawn, he was sure that it was the trap he had been fearing.

Then Bolt, who had always had the best eyesight of all the twins, said, "Look, it's our trainer! And beside her are all our brothers! I can't quite make them all out. But I see others too. Pokémon from other Boxes."

"Why are they all on the front lawn?" Vay asked.

"I think it must be a hatching," Night said. He started to feel relieved. There was no way someone from the Lab would attack them when there were so many pokémon ready to defend them.

"I wonder whose hatching it is," Bolt said.

"Let's hurry up and find out," Flame said.

Night noticed that Doki and Blizz were much quieter than the others as they approached the lawn, and that they were lagging behind several feet. _Of course they're not as excited as we are_ , he thought. _One's never been here, and the other doesn't remember._

They were still several hundred feet away when the first pokémon saw them and cried out. Instantly, all the pokémon on the lawn turned their heads toward Doki and the twins, and a few seconds later they were all rushing down the sidewalk to greet them.

"Night, is that really you?" asked Fred, one of his many brothers.

"Thank Arceus you're back," said Don. "With Stan gone, our family had been cut nearly in half!"

"Have your eyes changed?" asked somebody who Night couldn't even see. "I could've sworn they were yellow."

"What's with that nasty robe?" someone else said to Blizz, who was carrying it.

"Where have you been?" several pokémon asked. Even more asked about Vay's mane and tail. Nobody was eager to answer these questions.

Flame and Blizz seemed to be enjoying the attention, but Night, Doki, Bolt, and Vay were trying to squeeze their way through the crowd. Night's eyes were drawn to a small eevee who turned out to be Oliver, his youngest brother. He stared back at him with his red eyes. It was strange to see how much he had grown in just a few months.

Then their trainer was there, looking at them in disbelief and picking them up and hugging them one by one. Vay looked a little embarrassed, and Night realized with some jealousy that he could understand what she was saying.

"You should explain all of this to her once you get her in private," Night whispered to him as she harassed Flame. "It's probably best if we don't let _everyone_ in on our secrets."

Vay nodded, and then Night snuck away from the others to find who he knew would be waiting for him.

Harmony stood in the center of the lawn with Lem, two kits, and several pieces of broken eggshell. She was cooing over one of the kits, and didn't even seem to notice him approaching. Lem shifted nervously, then apparently decided that he wanted no part in this confrontation. He joined the procession on the sidewalk. Now there was nobody but the kits within fifty feet of Night and his mother.

"I'm here," he said.

Harmony looked up from the kit. For a moment, a look of shock appeared on her face, but it was quickly gone. "Oh, Night, look," she said, as if nothing was wrong. "You have a sister. Two eggs hatched this morning, and one was a girl. You have a _sister_ , Night." She continued to ignore the male kit.

"Sky didn't make it back with us," Night said hollowly.

This seemed to make Harmony very happy. "That's all I ever wanted. I never wanted _you_ to go to that place, but you made me send you there. You're back now, though." She smiled. "Now I can put Lem aside and you and I can finally be mates. No more poison or freaks to influence you. Oh, Night, you're eyes…we'll find a way to put them back, I promise."

"Don't call Sky a freak."

"It's what he was," Harmony insisted. "Surely you can see that now. Don't be so foolish, Night."

He felt something inside of him snap. Something must have changed in his face, because Harmony blinked in surprise.

"I said _don't call Sky a freak_."

Harmony hesitated. "You loved him. I know. But once you and I—"

"There won't be a _you and I_."

She sighed. "Oh, Night. You—"

"Don't call me that."

"Excuse me?"

"That was my old name. I picked a new one before you sold me. I'm Dusk now." He wasn't sure why he said it, or why it was so important to say it. But in that moment, he knew that he would never be Night again.

"Night is a much nicer name than Dusk," Harmony said. "You're being foolish." Her tone became dangerous. "Don't you know I can simply have those men come back and take you again?"

"One of those men is dead now," said Night. Obviously, he wasn't used to thinking of himself as Dusk yet. "Anyways, I figured you would make that threat. So I have one of my own. If you ever try to call them back, or do anything like this again, I'll kill you. I'd kill you anyway, if I thought I could get away with it."

He had never seen so much shock on his mother's face. "I…you really have changed. You're not the boy I fell in love with, Night."

"My name is Dusk." He left her there.

Lem approached him cautiously as he returned to the sidewalk. "Um…Night…"

"It's Dusk now, I guess."

"Oh. So, um…are you mad at me?"

"Mad?" Night looked at him curiously. "Why should I be? Just keep her busy and away from me."

"Right," Lem said. "Sure. One more thing."

"What?"

"Well, I was just curious. I mean, everyone over here is talking about how your eyes turned blue, even though they weren't blue before."

"I'm not gonna tell you how they changed color," Night said flatly. He was too exhausted to care about being polite.

"No, it's not that," Lem said. "I was just…I hope you don't get mad, but I was watching you when you talked to Harmony. Your eyes…for a minute, they were yellow again."


	34. Jay 12

**Vay**

Vay, currently a human, stowed the bicycle into the car's trunk. It barely fit, and there was no room for any other luggage. That was fine; what little else he was bringing could be held in the back seat.

Tina was already sitting in front of the steering wheel. Vay moved to ride shotgun. Doki was sitting there, so he picked her up and placed her in his lap as he sat down. She seemed comfortable there.

"You ready?" Tina asked.

"Yeah," Vay said, buckling his seatbelt. He wore what he had learned were normal human clothes: jeans, a t-shirt, and black shoes which apparently looked "cool." Tina, which was the name of his trainer, had taken him shopping the day after the twins had gotten home. It had been a big shock to her to learn that one of her pokémon could now speak her language and turn into a boy whenever he wanted to, but more than a week had gone by since then, and she was starting to get used to it.

Tina put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. They were both quiet for a while as she started down the road. Vay absentmindedly scratched behind Doki's ears.

"Are you _sure_ this is necessary?" Tina asked as they came to the first stop sign. "You only just got back. I missed you."

"You think I want to go back? If I could just _wish_ Sky home, I would. You _do_ want him back, don't you?"

Tina had only recently learned the true name of Sky, along with the true names of all her pokémon. She had called them all by entirely different names before Vay had told her what she should really call them.

"Of course I do." She sighed. "At least promise me you'll be careful." Tina hadn't been told exactly what the Lab was, or what had happened there, but she seemed to have picked up that it was somewhere very dangerous.

"I promise," Vay said. But even as he said the words, he knew that what he was doing was very much _not_ careful. There was no way of knowing how much the humans knew of their escape, or what kind of reception they would receive when they got there. Honestly, the odds of death were higher than he wanted to admit, and he was starting to understand why Darkrai hadn't wanted them spotted. But they had left Sky behind, and the only decent thing to do was to go back and try to rescue him.

Except that wasn't really the only reason he was going back. Life at home was worse than he had expected it to be. Blizz's amnesia had thrown a wrench into his plan for a happy life. His twin barely even recognized him now. And maybe it was just Vay's imagination, but he seemed to act differently than he used to. No matter what Vay tried, everything just seemed so pointless. At least at the Lab, he could try to do some sort of good. And if this trip ended badly…well, that wouldn't be the end of the world. He had already saved Flame, Dusk, Bolt, Blizz, and Volt. He wished he could say he had saved Doki, but she had insisted on coming with him. Nothing he said had been able to convince her to stay behind.

 _You're not like me, are you?_ he thought, stroking her fur. _Don't you have anything to live for? Why throw your life away with me?_ He would have said all of this out loud, but she wouldn't have been able to understand his human words.

About twenty minutes later, Tina pulled up next to the edge of the forest which marked the start of their journey. Not Tina's journey, but Vay's and Doki's. There was no road here. For the last mile, they had simply been driving on grass and dirt.

Vay unbuckled, opened the door, let Doki hop out of the car, and then climbed out himself. He opened the rear door and started to pull out his bags.

"Do you need help?" Tina asked. She sprang up from her seat without waiting for an answer.

"I can carry it all myself," Vay said. "Just pop the trunk so I can get the bike."

Once all the luggage was brought out and piled up next to the trees, Vay and Tina stared at each other for a long time.

"Try not to be gone for too long, Jay," she said. They had both agreed that he should still be called Jay while in his human form, since it was a perfectly good name for a boy. Vay, on the other hand, was not a normal human name and would probably raise some eyebrows.

"I think it'll take me a while to get them to trust me again," Vay said. "But if I'm not back within a year…well, you probably shouldn't expect to ever see me again."

Tina nodded gravely. "So…is this it, then?"

"I think so. Just remember that Dusk and Flame and Bolt can read and write. Dusk is the best, but Flame and Bolt know the letters and most of the important words. When you get a new pokémon, ask one of them to tell you their name. Oh, and I almost forgot. Keep Mother out of the PC if you can."

"Harmony?" Tina asked. "Why?"

"Just trust me," Vay said. Dusk had ordered him not to tell their trainer about what Harmony had done. He wasn't sure why. Actually, Dusk had been doing all sorts of weird things lately, like trying to set up some new leadership and housing system in Box Four. Apparently, he had meant for Vay to be one of the Box's leaders, but he supposed that someone else would have to do it now.

Tina nodded and then opened the driver's side door.

"Wait," Vay called out.

She looked up.

"Thank you for everything," he said. "For driving me here, and for buying me the bike and the clothes, and for giving me a good home all my life."

She smiled at him, then closed the door and drove off. Vay watched her until she reached the road.

Instantly, he felt a small pang of regret. Not because he wanted to abandon his mission, but because he knew that his brothers would worry about him. Vay had decided not to tell them what he was doing. _They'll only try to stop me_ , he reasoned. _Or worse, they'll insist on coming with me._ He couldn't allow that to happen. It had been enough of a mistake to take Doki along.

She was very eager to hit the road, though. Vay was hardly able to keep up with her as he wheeled the bike through the forest, made slow by the heavy backpacks which held their food, water, maps, and other supplies. After a long time, they made their way to the same dirt road they had taken to downtown Jubilife. It was nearly noon by then. Vay grabbed Doki and set her in the bicycle's basket, then climbed into the seat. Before long, they were racing through the forest much faster than they had been able to go on the journey home. Doki sniffed at the air and her floppy ears flapped behind her head. The air rushed through Vay's hair and the burden of his packs seemed to lift off his shoulders, along with all the world's stress.

 _It all feels so much more real this time_ , he thought. When Bald and Tall and Short had taken them so many months ago, it had almost felt like a dream. But now he knew and had seen the reality of the situation, and its danger, and the consequences of failure. _That won't stop me, though. Don't worry, Sky. I've beaten them once, and I'll do it again. I'll take out anyone who stands in my way, and that includes Terrin, and the High Warden, and even the Man With Dark Hair And Darker Eyes. Darkrai's dead, but maybe I'm more dangerous than he ever was. I hope you're all ready, because the Apprentice is coming for you._

And these thoughts filled him with more excitement than he had ever known, and he pedaled harder than ever before.


	35. Oliver 9

**Oliver**

"I don't get it," Oliver said, staring hard at the paper on the grass before him. Human letters covered the page, but he could make no more sense out of them than he would have been able to make out of random scribbles.

Dusk—it was still hard to call him that instead of Night—walked up to him and stared down at the writing. He sighed. "You still can't even recognize the letters? You'll need to if you want to read. You _do_ want to read, right, Oliver? All of us Greenpaw eevee should be able to."

With Harmony having permanently moved out of the Box, the children who remained needed new leaders. Dusk had set up the Houses almost as soon as he had arrived home. He said that every eevee could choose one of three houses. Greenpaw was the House in Box Four which Dusk led. There were two others as well: Firelight and Icedrop. Flame and Bolt led Firelight together, and Blizz had been given Icedrop. It was supposed to be Vay's, too, but Vay had left the PC. Nobody knew where he had gone.

Most of the younger eevee had chosen to enter Greenpaw, and most of the older eevee had chosen one of the other Houses. Split was sitting nearby, studying letters and leaving Oliver alone for once. Fred and Pete were laughing about something. The newly hatched twins, Dawn and John, sat closely and worked together. As always, it was a nice day in Box Four.

"Well, _I_ think it's easy," Dawn said proudly, pointing to her own page, which, along with her claw, was smeared with ink.

"Hasn't John been doing most of the work?" Dusk said, and after that Dawn kept quiet. Oliver caught John smiling in a humble sort of way.

A little later, the sky began to change. It didn't instantly change from day to night like it used to; rather, the sun began a slow descent (although it was much faster than the real sun would have gone down), and the blue turned to a bright orange. Blizz had recently taken over Skychanging duties permanently, and apparently he had decided that sunsets and sunrises were important. Oliver appreciated the change.

"I guess now's as good a time to stop as any," Dusk said. "We can't exactly read in the dark."

They all sighed in relief. Dusk had been making them practice the human language for the last several hours. Oliver felt mentally drained. He wished he could blame that on his age, but John was even younger and he seemed to be picking things up more quickly than anyone.

"Where are we going to sleep tonight?" Dawn wanted to know. Greenpaw eevee always spent their nights together.

A short argument began, as nobody could agree on where to go. Fred wanted to go to the Unnamed Forest, and Pete wanted to sleep near the lake in the northeast corner of the Box.

" _I_ think we should climb one of the hills," Split said.

"No, we _can't_ ," Dawn said, turning to her twin. "You know John has a weak heart. He can't handle a climb like that. Mother said so."

John looked a little embarrassed, and Dusk said, "Mother says a lot of things, and you believe them too easily. I'm sure John can walk half a mile uphill. If he can't, then he has a rough and short life ahead of him."

But in the end, it was decided that they wouldn't move at all, and that the field they had been studying in would make for a decent enough campsite. Everybody gathered around Dusk as he told them all sorts of scary stories. Oliver wondered where he had heard them from.

When the storytelling was done, the crowd dispersed. Friends joined up with friends to find a nice patch of grass to curl up together on. Before long, the sky turned black, the stars came out, and nearly everyone was snoring.

"Come on, Oliver," Split said. "I found us a nice place to sleep."

Oliver looked around and saw that Dusk was still awake. He had walked off on his own and was now staring up at the sky, just as Oliver himself often did.

"You go on," Oliver said. "Save our spot. I'll meet you there soon."

Dusk didn't look down as Oliver approached him. Whether that was because he didn't notice him or because he was just ignoring him, Oliver didn't know. He sat down next to him and also began to watch the stars. Neither of them said anything for a long time. It felt nice.

Finally, Oliver spoke up. "Dusk? What happened to Sky? I know you said not to ask about it, but…"

He felt Dusk tense up next to him, and finally their eyes met. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Did it have something to do with Mother?"

Dusk didn't answer.

"You hate her, don't you?" Oliver asked.

He nodded.

"I think I hate her too."

Dusk showed him a weak smile. "Well, that's nice of you to say. I guess."

"What about Vay? Do you know what happened to him?"

Dusk looked troubled. "Well…yeah, I think so. I think I know why he left, and why he took Doki with him. And I love him for it, but…I don't want to lose another brother. We've already lost Sky. And Stan, too."

"I don't really mind Stan being gone," Oliver admitted. He hesitated, then launched into the long story of what had happened to him over the last four months. He must have spoken for fifteen minutes before he was done. It felt good to rant about it. He didn't mention that he had killed Caro, though. For all anyone else know, the poochyena was still perfectly healthy, living in the wilderness.

"I didn't realize all that was happening," Dusk said. "You should have told me. I'd have put a stop to it." He eyed Split, who was fast asleep over a hundred feet away. "I wish I could tell you my own story. But…it's too personal. Sorry."

"That's okay. You don't have to talk about it." And so Oliver and Dusk sat where they were in silence until they each fell asleep huddled against one another.

From that day on, they became very good friends. For the next several months, the two spent every night together. Sometimes they would exchange a sentence or two, but mostly they kept quiet. Oliver was happy with the arrangement, and Dusk seemed to be as well. On some nights, other pokémon would come and stay with them. Split still constantly wanted to be around Oliver, so he was there at least twice each week. Even Lem once came to talk to them, which surprised them both.

Late one afternoon, when the season had long since turned to spring, Oliver saw Lem again.

"Tina wants to see you," he explained. "Come on, let's go." But he sounded sad when he spoke. Later, Oliver would realize that he should have taken that as a warning. At the time, it hadn't seemed important.

When they arrived at the control room, Lem told him to go ahead on his own. He did.

The house was dark when Oliver materialized in Tina's bedroom. Harmony sat in the middle of the room with an unfamiliar male eevee at her side.

"Mother?" Oliver asked, shaking his head to get used to the real world's atmosphere. "What are you doing here? I need to go—"

Her paw lashed out and bashed him in the side of the head. Oliver stumbled back, dazed, his head ringing. He tried to right himself but he collapsed hard against the ground. Somehow he was able to think, _She hit me harder than Stan was ever able to._ Then the male eevee was there with his jaws around his mane. He yanked him up sharply and Oliver cried out in pain.

"Ow! What are you…?"

"You're being too gentle with him, Darren," Harmony said.

The male—apparently named Darren—let go of Oliver, who was too shocked to even consider trying to flee. "He's already in pain, Harmony. I'm not going to torture the boy."

"He deserves it. He's just a little monster."

"He's my nephew," Darren said flatly. "And your son."

"Mother?" Oliver said, gasping, holding back tears. All the things that Scull and Nigel had taught him were out of his mind. "What are you doing? Lem said—"

"Oh, Lem does whatever I tell him to do. He's a good son. Unlike you." She sent him a sneer, but it quickly turned to a fierce grimace. "Why do _all_ of you freaks try to steal him from me?" she demanded.

 _Steal him?_ Oliver thought. "What…? Lem?"

" _No_ , not _Lem_. Don't you know _anything? Night!_ Everyone wants to steal _Night_ from me!"

"But…" Oliver gasped, his head still full of pain, "we just…"

"Take him, Darren. Let him be a lesson to all the others."

"I think you might be going the _tiniest_ bit crazy, my dear sister," Darren said lazily. Then he grabbed Oliver again and hauled him from the room.


	36. Book One Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The sea was as dark and flat and smooth as a sheet of black paper. The water was only disturbed by the shallow ripples produced by the boat's movements. Up above, the night was cloudless and strangely bright, allowing the duo to see the small island growing closer.

"Won't be long now," Miyuki said. "I bet we'll be there within the hour." A stray oran berry rolled across the bottom of the boat. Miyuki used her wing to scoop it up and pop it into her beak. The juice from the berry was sweet, yet tart enough to tickle her tongue.

Whirlpool paused his work to look back and glare at her. He was awkwardly holding an oar in each flipper. Tirtouga weren't really designed to row boats, but, hey, it got the job done. Miyuki was just lounging, but she had a good excuse; she was an archen, and her wings were even worse at holding things than Whirlpool's flippers. She had claws, but they were only really good for scratching.

The boat was not large. It was just big enough for four pokémon, but tonight it only held Miyuki and Whirlpool. The rest of the wooden floor was occupied by containers of food, fresh water, scarves, bands, and weapons. They still weren't entirely sure what exactly this mission would require of them, but their mysterious client had advised them to be well-prepared.

"I still can't believe you got us into this," Whirlpool grumbled as he went back to rowing.

"Oh, come on," Miyuki said. "This was a great idea! We're on a _nine-star mission_ , Whirlpool. If we succeed, Team Fossilfighters will go down in history as one of the greatest rescue teams ever!"

"No," Whirlpool said, "it won't. Team Fossilfighters doesn't exist anymore. You know that."

Miyuki _did_ know that, of course. It was easy to forget, though. She had been leading the rescue team for her entire life.

The client who posted this mission had left a very strange requirement for the team that took it: they had to leave their guild for good. Even after the mission was over, they would not be allowed to return.

It was a strange request. Miyuki had never seen a client demand such a thing. But the reward for this mission…if she and Whirlpool succeeded, they would be very, _very_ rich. _Who knows if we_ will _succeed, though_ , Miyuki thought. Very little information had been posted on the bulletin board outside their old guild. The note had only said three things: that the accepting team must dissolve; the island where they would meet the client; and that plenty of supplies should be taken. There was no name attached to the note, and there was no description of what the mission actually was. Miyuki had taken an enormous risk in accepting, and Whirlpool had only grudgingly agreed to come with her. All of her other teammates had wholeheartedly refused.

"I still think this is stupid," said the tirtouga. "What if it turns out this is some stupid prank, and we left the guild for nothing? Or what if it's even worse than that? I mean, this pokémon is asking us to come to some isolated rock in the sea with all of our money and supplies. Nobody is gonna come looking for us, since we aren't part of the guild anymore. Miyuki…what if this pokémon wants to kill us?"

Miyuki had considered that possibility already, but hearing Whirlpool say it made it seem more likely. She always tried to stay cheery, but now she could feel doubt in her heart.

"If that happens," Miyuki said, "then we'll kill _him_ instead. Then we'll go back to the guild and we'll all have a laugh about this big misunderstanding."

Thankfully, Whirlpool seemed to accept that. He grunted and kept rowing.

Miyuki's had overestimated earlier; it only took another thirty minutes or so to reach the island. When they were a hundred feet away, Whirlpool pulled the oars out of the water and set them down inside of the boat.

"All right," he said. "This is close enough."

Miyuki nodded. She stepped onto the rim of the boat, leapt out over the water, and took flight. The cold wind rushed past her face as she beat her wings and began to make her way over to the island. She had learned that archen in Sinnoh couldn't fly, but things were different where she came from. Her home was plagued with mystery dungeons, and no humans at all lived there.

She was already halfway to the island when she heard Whirlpool splash into water. Miyuki looked back to find the tirtouga swimming to the rear of the boat, getting ready to push it ashore.

Miyuki landed on the beach. Her talons sank into soft dirt—not sand, dirt. That was strange. The ground seemed unusually fertile, considering its close proximity to the saltwater. Further inland, lush greenery grew alongside tall trees. She had been expecting this place to be nothing but a barren old rock, but everything looked so _pretty_.

Looking out to sea, Miyuki saw that Whirlpool was still struggling along with the boat. He was behind the boat, so Miyuki couldn't see him, but she knew that, with all of those supplies weighing the thing down, he was probably struggling. _Maybe I should go try to help_ , she thought. Then she laughed at herself. _Nah, he's fine. I'll just stay here and watch._ She would probably only get in the way, anyway. Whirlpool was a water pokémon, and Miyuki wasn't. Flying over to the island was the best thing she could have done. Now Whirlpool only had to push the supplies, rather than the supplies _and_ an archen.

A minute later, he got the boat onto dry land. At that point, Miyuki _did_ go over and help. Together, the archen and tirtouga pushed the boat all the way out of the water.

"Should we take the supplies out?" Whirlpool asked. He was panting from all of his hard work.

"Nah," said Miyuki. "Leave 'em in there for now. It's not like anyone's gonna come steal 'em." She looked at the boat, considering it. "Let's push it a bit further inland, though. Don't wanna risk some random tide washing all of our stuff away."

Once that was done, they began to make their way over to the wilderness, leaving the boat behind. The island was very small. It sloped upward toward the center, and Miyuki could see the peak a few hundred feet away.

"That's where we're supposed to meet," she said. "Up at the top."

Whirlpool nodded. As they walked, Miyuki noticed that he was looking around at all of the plant life, frowning. _He notices how fertile this place is, too_ , she knew. You started noticing things like that once you had been on a rescue team for long enough. You visit so many places that you just start to know what things are supposed to look like.

The walk up the hill only took a few minutes. Both of them were panting by the end, but only because neither of them were used to walking much. Whirlpool swam whenever he could, and Miyuki flew. The only reason she didn't fly now was because she didn't want to make her friend walk by himself.

"There's nobody here," Whirlpool said once they reached the top.

It was true. Miyuki could see a hundred trees and ten thousand blades of grass, but there were no pokémon aside from the two of them.

"I'm sure they're around here somewhere," she said. "Probably in the forest somewhere." It was generous to call this place a forest, but she couldn't think of a better word for it. "I mean, we came pretty late, y'know. They might be asleep. Or maybe they're watching from a tree, waiting to see who came."

"I don't like the idea of being watched," Whirlpool said. He sounded almost nervous.

Miyuki opened her beak to reply, but she was cut off by a sudden flash of bright light. Whirlpool and Miyuki both took several steps backward, and the tirtouga nearly lost his balance. The light was a ball, floating in midair. They watched as it grew in size. First it was no larger than a berry, but now it was as large as a basketball, and now it was as large as Miyuki, and now it was as large as Miyuki and Whirlpool put together. The light radiated warmly.

It dissipated. When it was gone, a pokémon stood—no, _floated_ —where it had been. The pokémon was pink and blue and yellow, and Miyuki knew at once that she was looking at a god. She had heard of its kind only in storybooks and legends.

"Cresselia," Whirlpool muttered amazedly. He stooped down as if to bow.

"There's no need for that," the Cresselia told him. Her voice was deep, but feminine.

Whirlpool stood. Miyuki said, " _You're_ the one who put the order in at the guild?"

"Yes, and no," said the Cresselia. "It was a friend of mine who put in the order. But yes, it was by my request that he did so."

"May we know your name?" Whirlpool asked. His voice was full of awe.

"Cresselia will be fine," she said.

That seemed like a strange name, but neither she nor Whirlpool said so.

Cresselia spoke again. "I see that only the two of you have come. I do not understand. I had thought that nine-star missions were seen as highly prestigious among rescue teams. I was certain that hundreds of pokémon would be clamoring to accept this mission."

"Normally, there would be," said Whirlpool, who seemed to be recovering from his shock, "but your conditions were a bit…"

"Extreme," Miyuki suggested.

"Extreme," Whirlpool agreed. "Making us quit our guild? The reward you're offering is good, sure, but most teams aren't willing to take that risk. I only came because Miyuki made me. If we fail this mission, we'll have lost everything."

"If we fail this mission," Cresselia said, "then the world will have lost everything." She was silent for a moment, as if to let the weight of her words wash over them. "My rules were harsh, yes. I had hoped that the prospect of riches and fame would be enough to make up for them, but I can see that that is not the case."

"It was the case for us," Miyuki said.

"What do you mean about the world losing everything?" Whirlpool asked, sounding nervous again.

"I meant what I said. The outcome of this mission may determine the fate of the world." Cresselia looked at each of them, her pink eyes glittering. "This was not meant to be my task. It was Darkrai's, but now Darkrai is dead. Arceus has asked me to complete his work."

" _Arceus?_ " Whirlpool's beak fell open. "You know _Arceus?_ "

Miyuki said, "If this mission is so important that Arceus has to be involved, then why can't he do it himself?"

Cresselia looked like she was going to answer, paused, and then sighed. "It is a very long story. Walk with me, and do not interrupt."

They obeyed, of course. The three of them began to make their way back down the slope toward the boat that Miyuki and Whirlpool had used to sail here.

"There is a man," Cresselia began. "An evil man who is known by his underlings and foes as the Man With Dark Hair And Darker Eyes. He gives his true name to nobody. No doubt Arceus knows it, but I do not.

"The Man With Dark Hair And Darker Eyes has grown very powerful over the years. He is quite intelligent. Intelligent enough to protect himself from pokémon such as I. Now he leads an organization known as PokéPlex Laboratories. This organization has put up an impressive front to the general public. They sell rare pokémon and shiny pokémon for low prices. They pay trainers for unwanted pokémon, promising to give them a good home. Nearly every human on this planet believes that the Laboratories are a place dedicated to improving the lives of pokémon. But the pokémon who live there know better. They are places of torture and experimentation. Normally, this would not be enough of a reason for divine intervention, but Arceus knows all, and Arceus has seen the future. PokéPlex has grown obscenely powerful, and not just because of the money that humans give them. Their experiments grow more and more dangerous. Soon, they will possess pokémon that are capable of beating gods. In the wrong hands, that could be disastrous. And they _are_ in the wrong hands.

"When Arceus foresaw this, He summoned Darkrai at once. You ask why Arceus could not come himself, and here is your answer: there are an infinite number of parallel universes. In each of these universes, there is one Dialga, one Palkia, one Rayquaza, one Mew. All of the gods are represented once in each universe. All but Arceus. There is only one Arceus. He must split himself among every universe, watching them all at once. If He were to come and solve this problem for us, He would be abandoning every other universe in existence. So He leaves the job to us, his underlings.

"And so He left this task to Darkrai, giving him as much information as he felt was necessary to stop the Man With Dark Hair And Darker Eyes.

"But Darkrai failed. He was like a brother to me, but I was not blind to his faults. Darkrai thought rashly or not at all. He never bothered to speak properly. I remember that he was fond of pranks." Cresselia grimaced. Even that did not make her face seem any less regal. "And he failed. I do not know the details, but the Man With Dark Hair And Darker Eyes defeated him. Then he brought him back to one of the Laboratories and used his own powers against him. When Arceus summoned me several weeks ago, I had not heard from Darkrai for many years. I did not know about his mission until Arceus passed the task on to me. That was how I learned about Darkrai's death, and the Man With Dark Hair And Darker Eyes, and the Eight. And now I am here, seeking brave pokémon to help me on this holy mission."

They were only a few feet away from the boat by the time Cresselia finished speaking. Whirlpool looked dizzy, and Miyuki herself was feeling dazed. This was all so much to take in.

"You really want our help to save the world?" Miyuki asked.

"I think that I will need it," Cresselia said. "I do apologize for ripping you two away from your lives, but I felt that it was necessary. This mission will take many years to complete. Your minds must be focused on nothing else. I cannot allow you to be tempted by the safety of your guild. Once you accept this mission, there will be no turning back."

"Once we accept?" said Whirlpool. "You mean we haven't done so already?"

"I would not force this responsibility onto an unwilling pokémon," Cresselia told him. "If you doubt yourself, or if you are too frightened to continue, then I will not stop you from leaving this island and pretending that you had never heard any of this. You will find no judgement from me if that is what you choose to do. I require help, but I can find it somewhere else, if I must."

 _We can leave_ , Miyuki thought. _We can leave right now and go back to the guild and none of this will have ever happened._

"We're not backing out now," she said.

"Yeah," Whirlpool said. "If the whole world's at stake, then we won't just sit here and watch. We'll help you however we can."

Cresselia smiled at them. "Thank you. May I ask for your names?"

Miyuki raised her wing. "I'm Miyuki, and this is Whirlpool. We're Team Fossilfighters!"

"We _were_ Team Fossilfighters," Whirlpool grumbled.

"Very well. Miyuki. Whirlpool. You are truly certain that this is what you want?"

Miyuki nodded, and smiled.

"Of course," Whirlpool said. "But how are we gonna help you, anyway? You're a _god_ , and we're just regular pokémon.

"The jobs that I need help with do not require divine powers," Cresselia said. "If you were hoping to meet gods or take part in grand battles, then I'm afraid that I must disappoint you."

Miyuki was a bit embarrassed to realize that she _had_ been hoping for some excitement. "What _will_ we do, then?"

"You will watch, and you will guide. There are Eight that we must look after."

"Eight?" said Whirlpool. "Who are they? Do you know their names."

"No," said Cresselia, "I don't. I asked for them, but Arceus gave me only titles and descriptions. He told me that names do not mean much to the Eight. Some of them have multiple names, and others discard their names, and others do not even know their names."

"How do we find them, then?" Miyuki asked.

Cresselia answered. "As I said, there are titles. There is one for each of the Eight: the Amnesiac. The Mask. The Monster. The Apprentice. The Seer. The Giver. The King. And the Traitor."

"I don't like the sound of that last one," Whirlpool said.

"Yes," Cresselia said, "I think that she will be the hardest."

"The Monster doesn't sound too friendly, either," Miyuki said.

"I have spoken to some of them already. They are not all pleasant, but we require them all. The Apprentice has successfully completed his part in our plan, but seven still remain. If even one of them fails, then our mission fails with them."

Whirlpool was silent, and Miyuki didn't say anything either. _What have we gotten ourselves into?_ she thought. This was undoubtedly the most important thing that either of them would ever do, and Miyuki was suddenly feeling a _lot_ of pressure. _Seven more to watch over. If any of them fail, we all fail._

"You two may leave this island, for now," Cresselia said, "though I cannot permit you to return to your guild. Stay anywhere else you like, but do not speak with any of your old friends. I will send you further instructions soon. Do not worry; I am more than capable of finding you. Until then, stay safe. Oh, and you understand that all of this must remain a secret, yes?"

Whirlpool and Miyuki both nodded.

"Good. I will see you soon." And with that, the bright light returned. It grew quickly, consuming Cresselia, and when the light disappeared, so did she.

Now they were alone again. Whirlpool looked at Miyuki. Miyuki looked at Whirlpool.

And Miyuki suddenly burst out laughing. " _See_ , Whirlpool? I was right! This is _real_ work! The kind of work we've been dreaming about doing since we were kids! We're gonna save the world, Whirlpool!"

Whirlpool glared at her…but he was smiling as well. "We'll see, Miyuki. Now shut up and help me push this boat. I dunno where we're going, but I know that it'll take us all night to get there. The sooner we reach the mainland, the better. You gonna help me with the rowing this time?"

"Nope," Miyuki said, still smiling.

 **The End of Book One**

* * *

 **Closing Words**

I will begin uploading Book Two in a few weeks. If you're on this story's fav/follow list, you'll receive the chosen sample chapter (Prologue 2) on Sunday.

Thanks to everyone who has supported the story so far. Favorites, follows, and reviews really help me out and I appreciate them more than anything. If you've read this far but haven't fav'd/follow'd yet, please consider doing so now!

I've made a few changes to the outline of the series. It was originally envisioned as eight books, plus two short story interludes after Books Three and Six. After heavy consideration, I've decided that it would be best to combine Books Five and Six into one very long Book Five. I will also be cutting the interludes and working those stories into the Books Three and Five instead. So the final product will most likely be seven books with no interlude short stories.

And thank you to Pinkeevee222 for being so supportive of this fanfic, and for providing such a wonderful cast of characters to work with. Go check out her webcomic, Stupid Short Eevee Comic, if you haven't already.


	37. Book Two Prologue

_**A/N:** Weekly updates will now continue._

* * *

 **Book Two: The Amnesiac**

 **Prologue**

"Vicious, dirty beasts," Terrin said, clenching his nose against the smell of old mold and stale urine. The High Steward of the Cells, an eevee named Matthew, walked at his right side. Two lesser Stewards—a machop and a dewott—lagged behind them. They were deep within the Cells, and heading deeper. The cages here were sparse and small and rarely cleaned, and the pokémon they contained were just as dirty.

"Should we turn around, sir?" Matthew asked, too eagerly.

Terrin frowned at him. "No. I've been in the Lab for twelve years, boy, and in the Cells for eight. I've grown used to bad smells. I assumed that you could handle them too. Was I wrong? Is being a High Steward too difficult for you? Should I find someone else for the job?"

"No, sir," Matthew said, deflating a little. Just a little, though.

 _He's used to my threats_ , Terrin thought, trying very hard not to scowl. _I should've picked someone I actually liked to be my assistant_. The problem was that Terrin liked very few people. He wasn't a particularly agreeable eevee. And the ugly scars which covered his face and body weren't making him any more popular.

Anyway, he knew it wasn't the air making Matthew nervous. It was all the starving, broken pokémon who filled the cages they passed, and the prospect of the torture he would soon watch. Torture was technically not allowed outside of the kitchens, but most of the Wardens had it done anyways, and the humans usually turned a blind eye to it.

They would not turn a blind eye to what Terrin had been doing for the past six months. The girl—if you could call her that—could have been very useful to them. She was the sister of someone important. But Terrin had acted quickly on the day that Beast and the others had escaped, and for all the humans knew, the girl had made it out of the Lab with them. Only Nex and the three Stewards who walked beside him knew her true fate. Matthew was weak and a little too kind-hearted, but Terrin trusted him not to tell. He trusted the machop and dewott less, but they were easy enough to keep in line. He didn't trust Nex at all. Luckily, this secret getting out would spell trouble for the ditto as well.

They made a turn into a long, white, thin hallway with dozens of open doorways in both walls. Only one of the rooms was occupied, and that room is where they went. It was so dark inside that Terrin had to take a moment to let his eyes adjust before entering. Evidently, the humans didn't want to pay for lighting in this area since it was no longer in use. Or rather, it wasn't _supposed_ to be in use.

There was nothing inside of the room but a large triangular cage with crisscross bars built against one of the back corners. A female jolteon slept inside of the cage, her breaths coming in shaky snores. Her fur was caked with all sorts of dirt and grime. She hadn't been washed in several months, and neither had the cage. Empty food and water bowls, covered in bite marks, littered the tile floor around her. It smelled even worse in here than it had in the hallway.

Matthew had noticed that as well. "Couldn't we at least give her a bath, sir? It would—"

"No. Wake her," Terrin said as the machop and dewott entered the room behind him.

The order hadn't been necessary. The jolteon had begun to stir at Matthew's words, and her eyes had sprung open when Terrin had spoken. They were filled with raw fear. She scuttled to the back of the cage and let out a high-pitched whine.

 _Good_ , Terrin thought. "Well, quit standing around," he said to the Stewards. "We don't have much time. I have to be at the meeting soon." _Maybe I should have just waited and done this afterwards_. But for whatever reason it had felt important to torture the girl _now_. Actually, he had been having those urges more and more recently. In the beginning, he hadn't even tortured her. He had only ordered it done the first time as a punishment for her defiance, and to get her to stop asking about her brothers. Somehow it had become a regular thing.

The lesser Stewards moved forward to begin the session while Terrin and Matthew stayed back to watch. Terrin saw a smirk grow on the dewott's face. _The bastards should have been Rangers_ , Terrin thought, but he knew he was in no place to judge them. As the jolteon trembled, the machop worked at the cage's lock, managed to pull it off, and then reached forward to swing the door open.

A voice several yards behind them said, "I _do_ hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

Matthew started and Terrin whirled around to see a servine standing in the doorway. He appeared as a dark silhouette, backlit by the few working bulbs in the hallway.

"How did you find us here?" Terrin demanded. "The Watchers should have—"

"You're a fool if you think I don't even know the Watcher routes," Dane said. He was a handsome little beast, but his eyes were so cold and alien that Terrin almost shivered. "And anyways, I could tell by the way you were sneaking around that you didn't want to be seen. Nobody would go around like that if they thought they were being Watched. I figured I'd find some dirt on you if I followed you around long enough."

"What? You think you're some kind of sleuth?" Terrin said. "You wanted _dirt_ on me, huh? Well, you've found it. Do you really think I'll let you leave this room alive, now?" He smiled as everything fell into place in his head. "All I have to do is order these loyal Stewards to kill you, clean up the mess they make, and then feed what's left to the girl. I suspect she'll appreciate some good meat after all this time." He looked back at the jolteon through the bars, but she wouldn't meet his eyes. The machop moved up to his right side and the dewott to his left. Matthew shuffled out of the way.

For one satisfying moment, doubt flickered in Dane's eyes. But it was gone in a flash. "And then you'll have a missing Ranger—a Ranger who just happens to be one of Rash's favorites. It wouldn't go unnoticed. Why, they'd probably search the whole Lab trying to find me. And who knows what they'll stumble onto then?" As if to make his point, he looked at the jolteon, who was still shaking. Tears ran down her face, cutting paths through the dirty fur.

Terrin scowled, considering his options. Killing Dane would obviously be extremely risky, but he was tempted to do it anyway. _It might be worth it just to see the look on his face_. But in the end, Terrin decided that he valued his own life more than he valued the servine's death. "All right, freak, I'll hear you out. If I like what you have to say—and I doubt I will—then maybe I'll let you live."

"You'll certainly like some parts," Dane said. "Other parts, not so much. Come, I'll walk you to the Warden's meeting. I understand you need to be there soon anyway."

Terrin looked back at the jolteon. He didn't want to leave her yet. He wanted to watch her hurt.

"I'm sure she can wait until tomorrow," Dane said, almost lazily.

"Fine," Terrin growled. The Stewards were still standing beside him, ready to attack at his command. To them he said, "Give her a few good smacks and then feed her. We'll meet up again later." It would probably best to hear whatever Dane had to say alone.

Together, the Warden and the Ranger left the jolteon's room. The air grew cleaner and cleaner as they moved away, though it remained just as stale. But then, the Lab's air was always stale. Terrin had been living here more than half his life, but he had never grown used to it, just as he had never grown used to how every blasted wall and floor and ceiling was a pale, dusty white.

"The Lab is about to become a very dangerous place," Dane said. "Not just for the subjects, but for the Stewards and Rangers and Wardens, too. The High Warden will retire soon, or else die of old age. Vay will take over when that happens, but Vay is a traitor. Everything will be thrown into total chaos once he escapes again."

Terrin was so shocked that he almost stopped walking. "You know about Vay too?"

Beast had returned to the Lab six months ago with Doki and a new name. He hadn't been well received at first. Terrin had personally locked him in a small cage in the Cells, where he had remained for a week before the High Warden had decided to free him. Apparently, Beast had been tricked by Resin into pressing the button which freed the Darkrai. Resin had believed that the Darkrai would spare him and that they would all flee together. Obviously, that part of the plan had failed. After that, Beast had had no choice but to obey the Darkrai in order to keep himself alive.

Terrin didn't doubt that Resin had been the mastermind behind the ordeal. The vaporeon had always been loud about his dislike for the Lab and those who ran it. But to suggest that Beast had no part in the mess was laughable. There were so many holes in the story. The Darkrai had been found dead in the Ward of the Fighters, so why had Beast still fought to escape? Why would the Darkrai care about saving Beast's brothers? Why had it taken so long for Beast to return? And yet, once the High Warden had declared him innocent, everything went back to normal and all suspicion of the boy seemed to have simply disappeared. The Halfman named Vay had resumed his training as the High Warden's apprentice, and nobody questioned him. But Terrin had always had kept his doubts.

"Of course I know," Dane said. "Did you think you were the only one? You're not the only Warden with secrets, Terrin."

"If that's true, tell them to me."

Dane chuckled. "I doubt the others would appreciate that. You're not the only one with secrets, and you're not my only friend."

" _Are_ we friends?" Terrin asked, unsure if he should be disgusted or intrigued.

"I don't know. Are we?" Dane flicked his eyes over at him. "I think we should be. We're more alike than you'd like to admit. We both like to hurt."

"We're nothing alike," Terrin said too loudly. He tried to compose himself. "That girl is a special exception. And keep your voice down." They were in a more crowded section of the Cells now, walking past cages stacked on top of one another. Most of the prisoners were sleeping and those were awake had little chance of ever seeing freedom again, but Terrin did not want this conversation heard by anyone else. "I will _not_ be compared to a Ranger. I swear, if you ever call us _alike_ again, I'll turn you in to the High Warden, consequences for me be damned. He'll send us both to the kitchens."

"I'll be welcomed warmly. Rash sends me to help them out three times a week. They're not as fond of strangers, I'm afraid."

Terrin decided that this was a bluff, but chose to change the subject rather than waste time calling the servine on it. "What is it that you want from me? Access to the Cells and a blind eye? Some time with the girl? Will that keep you quiet about what you saw?"

"No," Dane said, smiling as though Terrin had said something funny. "I wouldn't take this risk for something as small as that. As I said, I have almost limitless access to the kitchens. I already have all the feelings I can get. I want something else. When the High Warden's reign ends and Vay betrays us a second time, I want your support."

"My support?" He thought for a few moments and then realized what the other was saying. "If you think I'd help _you_ take the title of High Warden, then—"

"No, no, nothing like that," Dane said, rolling his eyes and waving a sharply clawed paw. "But it is power I want. Rash is nearly as old as the High Warden. I want to position myself to take his place when he dies. If I have the support of some important pokémon like you, then in a few months I'll be able to take control of my own Ranger team. It's a good first step, and I won't have to answer to Red anymore."

"Oh. Is that all? You just want your own team?" He didn't like the idea of being manipulated, but at least this was something small. "Why didn't you just _ask_ me instead of blackmailing me? I may have helped."

"You wouldn't have," Dane said. "I know how you feel about me. It _was_ you who told Vay not to trust me, wasn't it? Overnight he went from friendly to cold toward me. Actually, that's part of the reason I'm doing this in the first place. All my safer plans have failed. I thought that by befriending Vay, I'd end up with a chunk of his power. When Lyra died, I was sure that Spike would take his mother's place as Warden, and that I'd be able to use him like a puppet. That's how it worked back in Unova, you know—a Warden's oldest child succeeds them. Apparently it's different here. I wish I had known that before…well, anyways, that plan failed too. I've decided that it's time to stop playing safe and start taking a little more initiative around here. But I can do that without making enemies, don't you think?"

"I suppose," Terrin grumbled. "Though I still don't appreciate your threats. I still have half a mind to lock you in one of my cages and throw away the key."

"And how will you do that? Look around you. We've left the Cells."

Terrin breathed in deeply and realized that he was right. You could always tell what part of the Lab you were in by the smell of the air. The air in the Cells was poor and musky. In the Ward of the Halfmen, it smelled of medicine. Here, there was hardly any smell at all. That meant they were between Wards. He hadn't realized that they had been walking for so long. _I shouldn't have let him out of the Cells until I was sure about him. Well, at least he hasn't given me_ too _much of a reason to want him dead. But if I can find a surefire way to get rid of him and still hide the girl…_

"I do apologize for the threats," Dane said in a humble sort of voice, "and for interrupting your time with the jolteon. I know better than most how frustrating that must have been for you."

Terrin wanted to deny it but found that he couldn't. He continued to walk alongside the servine, waiting for him to continue.

Eventually, Dane did. "Don't think you won't be getting anything out of this arrangement. When I become Warden of the Rangers, I'll be just as powerful as the rest of you. If you need something done in the Cells, I'll support you. Before then, I can also help with more sensitive matters which few others would even consider touching. I'm sure you can imagine the sorts of things I'm talking about."

 _I haven't agreed to anything yet_ , Terrin thought, but he only nodded.

They came to a turn in the hallway and Dane stopped. "We can work out the finer details later," he said. "I have to go. My team is leaving on a Ranging this morning, and Red will be cross with me if I'm late. And I know that you have your own meeting to attend to. Goodbye for now, Terrin. Stay safe."

 _Is that a threat?_ "I don't intend to die any time soon."

"Neither do I." Dane disappeared down the dark hallway. Terrin stared in that direction for a long time before finally snapping out of it and remembering he had somewhere to be.

He was the last one to arrive at the High Warden's chambers. He wasn't late, though. The High Warden did not tolerate tardiness.

This central room was one of the only colorful places in the whole Lab. The walls were painted maroon and the floor was made from lush carpet and furnished with pillows for them to sit on. It was probably built to function as a common area, but in practice it was only really used as a place for these weekly meetings. Wardens rarely had time for relaxation except for during the night, and during the night they were too exhausted to do anything but sleep. Two short hallways split away from the left and right walls, leading to the rest of the chambers, where the Wardens slept.

About two dozen of the Lab's most important pokémon were here. Including Terrin, there were nine Wardens. That bald Halfman used to attend too, but he was currently buried and missing a throat. It still felt strange to know that Lyra, Aless, and Resin were dead as well. The Fighters and the Deathseekers had both received new Wardens, but Resin had never been replaced. The Dark Cells were no longer in use, after all.

Also present were the High Stewards of the Breeders, the Deathseekers, and the Dreamers. The other Wards weren't large enough to justify having a High Steward. They were not required to come to these meetings, but their attendance was encouraged. At the same time, they were discouraged from speaking or participating. Matthew apparently hadn't been able to finish his duties quickly enough to arrive on time. And if you didn't arrive on time, it was best not to show up at all.

The rest of the pokémon were guests who would not have been allowed in without a special invitation from a Warden. They would have been barred from a more secretive meeting, but the High Warden saw no reason why they shouldn't be able to watch a dull, regularly scheduled one unfold. Unfortunately, Rash usually invited two or three of his Ranger friends to spectate. Even Dane had found his way into this room once or twice. Invited guests were not just discouraged, but completely banned from speaking. The breaking of that rule led to an immediate ejection.

The High Warden sat on his special cushion at the back of the room, and Beast sat at his right side, and Doki sat at Beast's right side. Terrin frowned. _He gives that girl too many privileges. She's only a Steward. She shouldn't be at these meetings at all, let alone at the forefront._

He looked around at the faces of the others. There was little emotion in the room but boredom. _Which of you are the friends Dane told me about? How many of you know the truth about Beast?_

The High Warden was not one to waste time. As soon as Terrin settled onto the carpet—all the pillows had already been taken—the absol nodded to him and began speaking.

"Our first and most important order of business is one which I'm sure you have all been expecting for some time now. I have decided that it is time for our friend Doki to become a Warden."

This news was met with a round of polite applause. Beast chattered excitedly to Doki and she smiled humbly. Terrin, on the other hand, frowned. He _had_ been expecting this for a long time, but he certainly didn't agree with the decision. _Six months after she helps destroy half the Lab and kill three Wardens, and you decide it's the perfect time to honor her._ _I thought you were smarter than that, you senile old fool._ It was a thought that he would never say aloud, even in private.

"But there's no Warden position to be filled," said Aidren, who had been walking with a permanent limp ever since the day of the escape. He claimed that his leg had been injured fighting the Darkrai itself. Terrin wasn't sure he believed that. "What, are you going to demote one of us?"

This led to a low murmur of discontent, until Frost the froslass, the new Warden of the Deathseekers, said, "But there is a position open. The Killers still need a Warden."

This time, Terrin smiled. _Yes, let her lead the Killers. If we're lucky, she'll be their first victim_. All rumors stated that the Killers were essentially just far more dangerous Fighters, though nobody truly knew much about them yet. If they ended up taking out Doki, then the Lab would be a little safer. _Well, safer for us Wardens._

"These assumptions are unbecoming of Wardens," the High Warden said reproachfully. "First of all, there is no Ward of Killers. I assume you mean the new Ward which has not yet opened. I assure you that they will not be called _Killers_ when the testing is finally done. Secondly, no, Doki will not become the Warden of that group, and she will not steal the title from any of you. She will be made the Warden of the first Ward which produces a vacancy for that position."

 _She'll replace whichever of us dies first, you mean. That's a pleasant thought._

"And since we are on the topic of that new Ward," the High Warden continued, "I suppose that we may as well discuss some of the humans' recent findings. We have already discussed how the new serum makes the subject highly aggressive, but it appears to be more extreme than we had originally believed. One subject in particular is progressing very quickly. His eyes have not changed yet, but the effects of the serum are showing themselves quite clearly. He was docile when he came to the Lab, but now he lashes out at random, usually at those smaller than himself. He has already sent several bloodied kits to the infirmary."

"You say all that like it's a good thing," said Rash the simisear.

"It is progress," the High Warden said mildly. "But of course we cannot encourage that sort of behavior. If he were not our best example of how this new serum works, he would have been sent to the kitchens by now. For now, I have chosen to lock him in the Darkrai's old cell when he is not being tested. Terrin, I would like for you to go there with me after this meeting. You have always been gifted at discipline."

 _Discipline?_ Terrin thought. Well, yes, the High Warden _did_ usually use him to punish pokémon who stepped out of line, if he didn't just send them to the kitchens. "Is that safe, sir? He _is_ a Killer, isn't he?"

"The Lab houses no Ward of Killers," the High Warden insisted. "Yes, it is safe. The boy is a small child, and his eyes are not even blue yet. You aren't afraid, are you, Terrin?"

Terrin scowled as all eyes turned to him. He had to admit that he _was_ a little afraid. The Killers must have earned their nickname somehow. But letting the others know of his fear would make him seem weak. _You've always known how to trap me, you clever old bastard_. "Of course I'm not afraid, sir. Only a little cautious."

The rest of the meeting went by without much excitement. Every Warden seemed to want something. Aidren wanted more Stewards, and Rash complained that his Rangers' training equipment was worn and needed to be replaced, and Toga seemed to think that the new Ward was taking too many pokemon who could just as easily have been sent to other Wards. Terrin himself kept quiet. He normally found these proceedings very dull, but currently he was too anxious to feel bored. The prospect of disciplining a Killer was hardly pleasant.

An hour or so later, when every issue had finally been settled, the room began to empty. The High Warden walked gingerly to the door and motioned for Terrin to follow.

It was a long walk to the Dark Cells, and it was made longer by the absol's slow pace. _The years haven't been kind to his joints_ , Terrin decided. _Dane was right. He doesn't have too much longer._ Though the two often disagreed, it would hurt to see the High Warden die.

They came to the cell. Terrin would never understand the huge panel of buttons built into the back wall on two shelves below a black window. The stools which stood before the shelves were unoccupied. The door between the panels seemed unnatural, but Terrin couldn't have said why. Out of nowhere, he thought, _Resin lived and died here_. He wasn't sure why that thought was so disturbing.

"The Killer is in there?" he asked, looking through the window but failing to see anything on the other side. Even without the Darkrai, it seemed impossibly dark in there.

"He is not a Killer," the High Warden said patiently.

"So the rumors about the new Ward aren't true?"

This time, the High Warden didn't answer.

Terrin's anxiety made him bold enough to say the things he otherwise would have only thought. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wouldn't mind me dying in there. Isn't it convenient that you asked me to do this on the same day that Doki needs an open Warden spot? If I died, she would get to take over the Cells."

The High Warden gave him a flat look. "Terrin, if I wanted Doki to replace you, I would simply demote you. For all my scolding, I _do_ consider you my friend, and I do not want you dead. Despite what you are doing to that poor girl in the Cells."

Terrin's blood ran cold. "I…what? How do you—?"

"Do you really believe that you know of every last Watcher inside the Lab? Do you think they never stray from their route? You were foolish to believe that I would not find out. You should not keep secrets from me, Terrin."

His mouth suddenly felt very dry. He realized the danger he was in. He had planned excuses in the event that he was caught, but they all seemed flimsy now that he actually needed to give one. "That's why you brought me here, then?" he demanded. "Is there even a boy in that cell, or do you intend to lock me inside?"

"Terrin," the absol said calmly. "I _just_ said that I do not want you gone. The girl means nothing to me. But you must rid yourself of her before Vay takes my place. If he finds out what you have done…"

"You still intend to let him succeed you?" Terrin blurted out, angry and defensive. "You _must_ know he isn't trustworthy! And making Doki a Warden? How are you _possibly_ justifying that to yourself?"

The High Warden opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again. He looked genuinely troubled. "Vay and Doki…yes, I know I should not trust them as much as I do. Vay's story of what happened is ridiculously flawed, certainly. But I do not think it is without merit. I believe that he was forced into following Resin's and the Darkrai's plan. After they died, he probably thought that it was too late to stop and explain the situation, so he rounded up his brothers and escaped with them. He delivered them safely home, and then came back, hoping to reclaim his position as my successor…or merely to save the brother he left behind. I do not know. I intend to find out. By pretending that I am not suspicious of him, he will not be suspicious of me. But it is hard for me to play this game, Terrin. I have never had children or a family before, but I think that I have grown to love those two. A High Warden should not love. It only makes what I must do harder."

Terrin was surprised. He wasn't entirely sure what to say. "I…I didn't realize you felt that way. And I didn't know that you knew all that." In that moment he realized that the High Warden was effectively pardoning Terrin of his secret crimes. _Dane doesn't have anything on me anymore. If I turn him in for blackmailing and conspiring, he'll be gone for good_. But then he discovered with a shock that he didn't _want_ to turn Dane in. _He could be a very useful ally…or a very dangerous one_. He would have to think it over. After all, the servine had just left on his Ranging, and likely wouldn't return to the Lab for weeks. He had plenty of time to decide.

"I know more than you think. Now go and teach the boy his lesson. Teach him that he is not powerful. Teach him what happens to troublemakers in the Lab. Scratch on the door when you're finished so I know when to open it again." He reached up and pressed a button on the shelf, opening the door and revealing the black void behind it.

Convinced that this was not a trap, Terrin walked into the darkness. The door slammed shut behind him, cutting him off from the High Warden and the rest of the world outside the cell. He couldn't see a thing, but he could hear a bit of whimpering coming from the other side of the room. Squinting hard, he could make out the shape of a young eevee, perhaps a year old, huddled against the back wall. When Terrin saw him, he realized that he truly wasn't in any danger at all. The boy reminded him so much of the jolteon hidden away in the Cells that he suddenly felt a jolt of excitement. _No_ , he thought, _control yourself here. The High Warden is watching. Maybe he can't see you through the door and the darkness, but he'll see the boy afterwards. Be harsh, but not cruel._

He stepped further into the room, making his way toward the boy. "What's the matter, boy?" he taunted. "I was told you love to fight. I like fighting, too. Why don't we have a sparring match?" He didn't bother grinning because he knew he wouldn't be able to see it.

The boy tried to speak, but a squeak came out instead of words. He tried again. "Leave me alone."

Terrin barked laughter. "Why should I? You didn't leave those others alone. Half a dozen kits all in the infirmary because of you." He was almost standing over the boy now. He looked up at Terrin's scarred face—which Terrin loved using to intimidate people—and showed him a pair of light purple eyes. _Strange_ , Terrin thought. He hadn't seen too many eevee with purple eyes before. But then he realized that, if this eevee's eyes were slowly turning blue, then they must have been red to start with. That was even stranger.

"I didn't want to hurt them," the boy pleaded, trembling against the wall. "I just wanted them to leave me alone, but they wouldn't. And then I got mad, and I wanted to stop but I couldn't. When I get mad, I…I just want to go home."

 _Don't we all_. "I'm not interested in your excuses. I said we're fighting. Get up."

The boy did not get up. Terrin hooked his claw under the other's chin, forced his head upward, and then put his own head down so that they were just inches apart. The boy cried out in pain as the claw dug into his flesh and drew blood. He tried to look away but Terrin held him firmly.

"Look at me, boy. Are you afraid of me? I'm mean and ugly and _vicious_ , aren't I? Do my scars scare you? I hope not. You may just have a few of your own by the time I'm done with you."

The boy finally managed to free himself. He darted to the other side of the room.

Terrin followed, laughing, not needing to see. No, there was nothing to fear from this so-called Killer. "Yes. Big, mean, ugly, vicious Terrin. They see you the same way you see me. It's not _fair_ , is it?" He caught the boy on the word "fair" and shoved him down. He put his paw on him so he couldn't crawl away. "You're bigger than them, stronger than them. That serum they put into you…do you realize how lucky you are?" He sunk his claws in deeper and raked them down a few inches. Blood flowed freely, and through the darkness he could see tears running down the boy's face as he struggled to get away from the pain. Terrin continued to speak, a little more softly now. "Nine in every ten eevee that enter this place don't last a year. Sure, some get sold or else they become Stewards or Rangers. But most just die. An experiment goes wrong and then they're gone." He pulled his claws out of the boy. He had to tug a bit to get them out of the flesh. "You're the experiment that _didn't_ go wrong. Don't throw that away, you little idiot. If you can't get ahold of yourself, you'll end up killing someone. Have you ever killed someone? I have. It's not pleasant, and the consequences aren't pleasant either."

The child remained whimpering on the floor, saying nothing. Blood continued to roll down his body. Satisfied that he had made his point, Terrin turned away. He walked to the cell door.

"I have," the boy said behind him.

Terrin's claws were stretched out, almost to the door, when he paused. Instead of scratching, he let the paw fall. _Need some more persuasion, do you?_ "You have what?"

"I've killed someone." The boy's voice was different now. It seemed more stable.

When Terrin looked back, he saw that his eyes were different too. They were no longer purple. The pupils were a bright red. They glowed like a fire in the darkness, lighting up his whole face. Staring into those eyes, Terrin found that he believed the boy.

"Huh," he said, trying to keep his own voice steady. _His eyes shouldn't have changed. The High Warden said…_ "And how did you do that?"

"I pushed him off a cliff." The boy took a step toward him, and it took all of Terrin's willpower to not try to flee. "He and Stan wouldn't stop hurting me, so I hurt them instead. I think I want to hurt you, too." He took another step closer. Terrin was reminded of a predator stalking his prey.

He had faced bigger and stronger opponents before, but he had never felt this way before a battle. This boy was less an individual and more a product of the Lab—an experiment. There was no telling what he was capable of.

Terrin charged, hoping to catch his opponent off guard, knowing it may be his only chance. They were only a few yards away, so he pounced almost immediately. The boy put up his paw to block him. Terrin tried to swipe it away but the foreleg wouldn't budge. When it slammed into his chest, his breath left him and he fell hard to the floor.

 _What…?_ he thought deliriously, gasping. The boy hadn't flinched, or stepped back, or moved at all. Terrin was three times his size, but he hadn't even seemed to feel the collision.

He tried to rise. The boy shoved him back down, and then he was on top of him. They stared into each other's eyes and the bright red pupils seared into Terrin's vision. Then the boy put his head down where Terrin couldn't see, and suddenly there was pain—more pain than he had ever felt in his life. He pushed himself to panic, to fight, but found that he couldn't. Although something was clearly wrong, he suddenly felt eerily calm. When the boy with the red eyes climbed off of him, he lifted a paw to feel at his neck, and found a gaping hole where there should have been flesh. _My throat is gone_ , he realized as the blood began to choke him.


	38. Stan 1

_**A/N:** It's been three weeks since I uploaded the prologue. Sorry about that. I wasn't as prepared to publish the early chapters of Book Two as I thought I was. I'm still working on the second, third, and fourth chapters. Stan 1 was supposed to be the fifth chapter, but it's been finished for a long time so I figured I would upload it now, so that you guys wouldn't have to wait any longer for an update. The next chapter will be up next Saturday no matter what. Hopefully I'll be able to maintain a consistent weekly schedule from that point onward._

* * *

 **Stan**

Stan chased after the rattata.

It was a quick little thing, and it was running for its life. But in a way, so was Stan. Four days had passed since his last meal, and he was _starving_. He had already spent half of the day stalking the rattata, waiting for it to come out of its den. Stan knew that if he let it get away now, he would probably never eat again. He imagined himself succumbing to hunger at the foot of some tree, or being killed by some wild pokémon that he would be too weak to fight. Thinking about that made him go a little faster.

He chased it through a grassy area that was something between a field and a forest. The trunks of the trees were thin, and their highest leaves were no more than twenty feet above the ground. They had grown sparsely; in some places, there was nothing but grass for thirty feet in every direction.

The rattata stayed close to the trees, using them to its advantage. Stan was slightly faster, but his prey was small and agile, and it was able to round trunks without losing any speed. Stan, on the other hand, had to duck under every low branch, and it took him a moment to compose himself every time he circled a tree. This resulted in an awful, exhausting cycle: the rattata would gain some ground every time they reached a tree, and Stan would close that distance as they ran to the next one.

They had been sprinting for nearly twenty minutes. Stan was exhausted, but he couldn't stop. This was a battle of stamina now, and the winner's prize was life.

Eventually, as they rounded another tree, the rattata paused for a single moment—perhaps to get its bearings, or perhaps to catch its breath—and that moment was its death. Stan pounced. The rattata tried to run but Stan came down hard and slammed his paw onto its tail, pinning it to the ground. Its legs scrambled and stirred up grass and dirt as Stan got his jaws around its throat. "No, please, _please_ ," was all it had time to say before he snapped its neck.

"Sorry," he told the corpse, then sat down to feed. It tasted vile, but he was too hungry to care. As he ate, blood and saliva mixed in his mouth and dripped through his teeth.

Stan crammed as much meat into his stomach as he could, but by the time he was done almost half of the rattata remained untouched. He frowned. Wasting all of that food seemed wrong. Disrespectful, even. But he knew that he couldn't take it with him. By nightfall the smell of the corpse would be overpowering, and that might cause whatever predators lived in this place to stalk him. No, he couldn't take it, no matter how badly he wanted to. Stan forced himself to rise. He walked away from the half-eaten rattata. _I'm gonna wish I had it later, though_ , he thought. _I'll be hungry again soon, and then I'll wish I had taken a snack with me._ But that was a problem for later.

It was three hours past noon, and the summer sun beat down on him as he walked. The trees started to become larger and more frequent, and before long he was in a proper forest. Stan could hear all sorts of pokémon going about their daily lives. That made him feel more comfortable. _Plenty of things to hunt around here._

He came to a small stream, and he used the water to quench his mild thirst and wash the rattata's blood out of his fur. Then he was on his way again. Stan had no idea how close the nearest town was, but he knew that if he just kept walking in one direction then he was bound to find it eventually. He _always_ found a town eventually. Sometimes it took weeks and weeks, but in the end he always made his way to civilization.

He wasn't sure what he would do when he got there. Usually, he spent the first five or six days exploring the unfamiliar cities. There were always plenty of things to look at, and he was usually able to locate a steady source of food during that time. The dumpsters outside of fancy restaurants were always full of good stuff. Or maybe he would find some nice human girl who would feed him, but not try to stuff him in a pokéball.

 _I wonder if a human like that even exists_ , Stan thought. There had been no shortage of people willing to feed him, but _everyone_ tried to catch him in the end. Eevee were uncommon in these parts, but they were also very popular. That meant that they were highly sought after.

Stupid humans. Stan had decided a long time ago that he couldn't trust any of them. Cities were safe—certainly much safer than forests and caves—but they held dangers of their own. He didn't like to stay in one for more than a few weeks because he knew—somehow he just _knew_ —that some stupid trainer would eventually succeed in their attempt to capture him. A few had come close over the months. Once, he had been forced to beat an entire six-pokémon team in order to escape. By the end of that fight he had been bruised and bloody, but somehow he had won. _I doubt I could ever do that again,_ he thought.

It's not that he hated the idea of belonging to a trainer. It's just that he already _had_ a trainer. She had abandoned him because of stupid Oliver and stupid Caro, but she _was_ his trainer, even if she didn't know it. If someone else were to catch him, he would probably never be able to get back home to her. He would never see his family again, either.

Thinking about that made him sad. He continued his walk through the forest. When night drew near, he was almost relieved. The darkening sky meant that he needed to climb a tree and wait until morning to continue, and that meant that he got to take a long break from walking.

He found a suitable tree and leapt up the branches until he was about twenty feet over the ground. Stan wasn't scared; he had grown used to sleeping so high up.

The night air was warm, and that made him smile. It was never easy to survive in the wild, but you were less likely to die in the summer than in the winter. Stan had learned that the hard way. His trainer had released him during the coldest part of the year, and hunting had been nearly impossible. In the two months that followed before spring came, Stan had nearly died, either by freezing or starving, on an almost daily basis. He _would_ have died if he hadn't managed to find a nice town to wait out the winter in.

It would have been easier if Caro hadn't run off and left him all alone.

"We should stay together," Stan had told him, in a voice that was almost pleading. "We can hunt together. We'll keep each other alive."

"Keep each other alive?" Caro had said. "If anything, you'd drag me down. You're weak. You couldn't even beat the freak."

"You couldn't beat him either," Stan had reminded him.

That had made Caro angry, and for a moment Stan believed that the poochyena was going to attack him. But Caro had only uttered a low growl before walking away, leaving him alone.

 _I'll never forgive him for that_ , Stan thought. _If I ever see him again, I'll kill him. I swear I will._

He tried to clear his head of negative thoughts. He needed to rest if he was going to spend all day traveling tomorrow.

Stan closed his eyes and fell into a deep, black, dreamless sleep.

The next morning, he rose with the sun. Hunger pangs were already needling at his stomach. _Great_ , Stan thought. Under normal circumstances the rattata might have kept him satiated for several days, but he hadn't eaten for four days prior to that meal, so he supposed that his body wanted to make up for lost time. _Maybe I can find some breakfast while I walk_.

Stan climbed down from the tree and stepped onto dewy grass. A nearby pond quenched his thirst, but did nothing to stop the ache in his stomach. He walked slowly and deliberately, making as little noise as possible in order to avoid scaring away any potential prey.

An hour passed, though, and he never saw a sign of life. That was strange. The noises of wild pokémon still filled the air. Where were they? Were they just good at hiding? Stan hoped that that wasn't the case.

He was just starting to consider waiting in a tree for something to pass by when he heard another noise. This one was much closer than the others that echoed throughout the forest. It was a voice, Stan realized. He stalked toward it.

It said a few more words, and then it was joined by a second, deeper voice. Stan hesitated. He didn't want to get into a fight with _two_ pokémon. Not if he could help it, anyway. His curiosity was strong, though, and he continued to stalk toward the strange voices. They seemed to be walking toward him as well, though he didn't think that they knew he was there.

Stan looked around. _Would probably be best if they didn't see me_. He hurried over to a nearby tree and hid behind its heavy trunk.

A minute later, the two pokémon came into view. One was a charmander with a goofy smile plastered across his face. He carried a bag that probably held supplies. _These two aren't wild_ , Stan knew when he saw that. The second pokémon looked far more dangerous. It was a pawniard with dark eyes. The charmander seemed far more talkative than the pawniard.

If it was just the charmander, Stan might have tried to fight it. But something about that pawniard scared him. _I can find a safer meal somewhere else._ He decided to stay behind his tree and let them pass. With any luck, they wouldn't spot him.

As it turned out, Stan had no luck at all. When he heard the pawniard hush the charmander, Stan knew that they had found him. _How_ they had found him, Stan couldn't say.

He heard the pawniard say, "You, behind the tree. Come here."

Stan did not move. He wasn't going to reveal himself until he absolutely had to. What if the pawniard had been speaking to some other pokémon? What if he was bluffing, and had just pointed to a random tree on the off chance that he would catch someone by surprise?

"Come on out, friend," said the charmander. "We won't hurt you."

Stan heard them approaching his tree. _No choice but to trust them_ , he decided. Besides, even if these strangers were malicious, it would be better to face them with dignity than to be caught hiding and cowering. He sighed and stepped out into the open.

The charmander looked surprised that Stan had obeyed. Then his smile returned and he said, "Don't worry, friend. You have nothing to fear from us. My name is Char."

 _Yes_ , Stan thought, _it would be_. Why did pokémon always choose stupid names like that? Who would want to have their identity so closely tied with their species?

"I'm Stan."

"Are you hungry, Stan?" Char asked, looking him up and down. "You look pretty thin. I bet you haven't eaten in days."

"I caught a rattata yesterday," Stan said. "But I didn't eat for a long time before that." He looked at the Char warily. "Why? You have food to give me?"

"If you want it." Char grinned at him. "My clan has a whole lot of food back at our den."

 _My clan_ , Stan thought. _Our den_. He laughed indignantly. "You think I'm wild?"

Char looked surprised again. "Aren't you?"

"No. I have a trainer. I haven't seen her in a long time, though."

The pawniard narrowed his eyes. "You were released, weren't you?"

Stan glared at him. "That's none of your business."

An awkward silence ensued. Char exchanged a glance with the pawniard.

"Why don't you come eat with us, Stan?" the charmander said after a while. "Like I said, we have plenty of food. We all love meeting new friends. I bet Dane will love talking with you."

Stan considered the offer. "If there's food, I'll go," he decided. "But don't expect me to be all happy and bubbly with everyone." He looked over at the pawniard. "You never told me your name." _It can't be any worse than the charmander's._

"I am called Blade," said the pawniard.

Stan rolled his eyes.

They led him through the forest for most of the day. Char spent most of the trip rambling about random topics, and Stan started to wonder if his mouth wasn't the reason that the woods had been suspiciously empty this morning. Blade, on the other hand, was very quiet. If you asked him a question, he would answer in as few words as possible and then shut his mouth. Stan decided that he liked Blade more than Char.

"How much farther is it to these blasted friends of yours?" Stan asked. By then it was somewhere around noon. He was very hungry.

"Not much farther at all," Char said. He looked as cheery as ever.

They came to a clearing fifteen minutes later.

"That's where we live," Char said. He gestured to the other side of the clearing, and for a moment Stan didn't know what he was supposed to be looking at. Then he realized that it was a building. It was camouflaged with green paint and leaves, and blended into the trees so well that you might not even be able to tell it was there if you didn't know what to look for.

As they walked toward it, Stan started to smell food. His mouth watered, but he had enough dignity not to drool.

There was a piece of tarp covering the only visible doorway. Char pushed it aside and went inside. Stan followed, and Blade came in after him.

A single room made up the entirety of the place's interior. It was a rectangular, fairly large room with a dirt floor. Now that they were inside, Stan could see that the walls were made of thin sheets of metal. He was reminded of the control room back in Box Four, his old home. In the center of the room was a pot of boiling soup, which was cooking over a fire pit that had been built into the floor. Six decaying tree trunks surrounded the steaming pot. Four of the stumps were occupied. A servine sat on one. A riolu with shifty eyes had claimed another. Two were taken by eevee. One of them was very fat, and the other had red eyes. Not a pale red like Oliver's, but a shade as deep as blood. They had been speaking when Stan, Char, and Blade came in, but now they stopped.

"Brought us a friend, have you?" said the red-eyed eevee.

"This is Stan," Char said. "He's hungry."

"Is he?" said the servine. "Guess we'd better feed him, then."

"Come on," Char said to Stan.

There was something about this scene that Stan didn't like, but he wasn't sure what it was. He followed Char across the room. The charmander took one of the stumps, and Blade took the only remaining one.

"Sorry for the lack of seats," the servine said. "We weren't expecting any guests."

"As long as you give me food, I don't care where I have to eat it." Stan sat down between two of the stumps on the far side of the room, directly across the red-eyed eevee. That was when he noticed the kits that sat at the red-eyed eevee's left and right. One was a boy and the other was a girl. They looked very similar. _Must be siblings_ , Stan thought. _Maybe even twins._ He only glanced at them.

"Shall we introduce ourselves?" said the servine. "Seems like it would be rude not to. I'm Dane." He showed Stan a friendly grin. "You know Char and Blade already, of course."

"I'm Sig," said the fat eevee. His voice was very deep.

Dane reached over at clapped the riolu on the shoulder. "Go on, Spike. Give our new friend your name."

The riolu flinched. He looked down at the ground for a long time before answering. "Spike. I'm Spike." Despite his nervousness, he did not stutter.

"What about you?" Dane asked Stan.

"I'm Stan." He looked over to the red-eyed eevee. "And you?" He didn't really care what any of their names were, but it would have been rude not to ask. He didn't really care about being rude, either, but he would play nice if it meant some free food.

The red-eyed eevee smiled sagely. "Oh, I have a name. Don't think I don't. But I don't give it to anyone. Not even my partners here know. See, if you don't tell anyone your name, nobody can hold a grudge. Nobody can track you down. Nobody will ever know what you've done. Seems smart, huh?"

"Seems cowardly," Stan said before he could stop himself. The red-eyed eevee's smile curled downward into a frown, but the rest of the room exploded with laughter.

"We've all told him the same thing," Sig said between laughs, "but he never listens."

"Personally, I think he just has an embarrassing name," Dane said, "and he doesn't want to tell us what it is because he knows we'll make fun of him."

Char was howling. "Go on, Red. Tell us. I won't laugh, I promise," he said as he laughed. "What is it? Clarence? Melvin?"

The red-eyed eevee was not amused. "That's enough, all of you." He said it so loudly that he was almost screaming. "I'm sure our new friend didn't come here to hear jokes. He came for food, right?"

Stan was grinning, but he forced his face back to a neutral look. "Right." He stepped up to the pot and prepared himself to dip his face in.

Char said, "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" His tone was jovial enough, but Stan could tell that he was genuinely confused. "We can't just let you shove your face in there." He gave Stan a strange look. "You sure you're not wild?"

Stan frowned. "How am I supposed to eat it, then?"

"We have bowls," Dane said. He lifted his up to show Stan. "Go on, Spike, get our friend a clean one."

Spike flinched and hurried off of his stump to obey.

Stan was baffled. Looking around the room, he suddenly noticed that all of the pokémon did indeed have bowls. They sat next to their owners, empty and dirty, on the stumps. _These pokémon live like humans_ , Stan realized with a mix of awe and disgust. Come to think of it, how did they even build this shack? This was the sort of place that a human would live in, except it was less fancy.

Spike produced a bowl and dipped it into the pot. His paws were as shaky as his eyes.

"Spike," said the red-eyed eevee, "bring that over here. I'm hungry too, and my bowl is empty."

The riolu glanced nervously at Stan, then rushed to obey the red-eyed eevee's command.

Stan could see the meaning of that. "What?" he asked the red-eyed eevee. "You want something from me first? Some favor or promise before I get to eat?"

Dane laughed. "This one's clever. More clever than those kits."

Stan stared at the kits and got a good look at them for the first time. The boy and the girl both watched him with hollow eyes. They looked terrified. The boy's face was covered in cuts and scar tissue. Some of the cuts were fresh.

"Those yours?" Stan asked, unsettled.

"The girl is," said the red-eyed eevee.

"The boy is mine," Dane said, still grinning.

"You're poachers," Stan realized. He stood.

Blade rose as well. "You will sit."

"Relax, Blade," the red-eyed eevee called. To Stan he said, "We don't like that word."

"We prefer to be called Rangers," Char said.

"As for the favor," said the red-eyed eevee, "yes, there is something I want from you. Obedience. That's all. Well, and your freedom, I suppose, but you weren't doing much with that anyway."

"You think I'll just let you take me?" Stan said. "You'll have to kill me." He meant it. He would _not_ be taken by these pokémon.

"Must I?" Blade asked. "Killing is unpleasant work."

Stan looked around the room. All six of the Rangers were between him and the door. Suddenly Dane's smile did not seem so friendly. The female kit was crying.

"Look," said the red-eyed eevee, "it's not so bad at the Lab. You look like you could be strong after some training. I'll put in a good word to Rash—that's out Warden—and maybe he'll pick you up. Here are my terms: Be nice to us, treat us with respect, and do everything we ask, and I'll make sure you're treated well. I'll even put good food in your stomach on the way to the Lab."

Stan backed away from the pot, and from the stumps. "Maybe you don't understand who you're dealing with. I've been beating up pokémon since I was a kit. I killed my first pokémon two days after my trainer released me for being too violent. I've fended off entire battling teams on my own. You think it'll be easy to subdue me? You're wrong." And perhaps he should have left it at that, but the hunger was making him bold, so he said, "Here are my terms: Put good food in my stomach, or I'll slaughter every last one of you."

The red-eyed eevee only laughed. "Will you? How? You're one pokémon, and we're six." He smiled condescendingly. "But we don't need six to take you down, do we? I think one will be enough. Give us a show, Blade."

The pawniard put his arms up in a fighting stance. "Surrender or die," he said.

Stan bared his teeth in answer.

Blade came forward to kill him.

The first slash came with deadly speed. Stan ducked his head down by reflex. If he hadn't moved, Blade would have opened his throat, but instead his arm passed through the air harmlessly. The pawniard swung his arm around and aimed a downward stab at Stan's back.

Stan threw himself backward, avoiding the second attack as well. Blade closed the distance between them in less than a second and attacked a third time. Stan leapt away again, but this time he was a little too slow. A gash opened in his side as jumped away, and he grunted in pain. The five Rangers who were watching cheered and laughed.

 _He's too fast_ , Stan thought as he landed on his feet. He needed to figure out a way to end this quickly, because he _definitely_ wasn't going to win in a battle of endurance. It was time to take a chance.

Blade stabbed at him a fourth time. Stan dodged it and ran at the pawniard. Blade grunted in surprise; he had obviously been expecting Stan to leap away again. The pawniard slashed with his other arm but Stan was anticipating that. He barely managed to dodge, and Blade fell slightly off balance. _Perfect_. Stan got in close and scratched at Blade's torso.

His claw bounced harmlessly off of the metal skin.

 _What?_ Stan thought. Then, knowing what was coming, he threw himself backward through the air. Blade's deadly arm chased after him. Stan felt a terrible ripping sensation near his head, and he knew that Blade had gotten his ear. It started throbbing before he even hit the ground. More cheers came from the spectators.

This time he did not land on his feet. The pain in his ear distracted him, and he landed painfully on his side. Blade did not allow him to recover; he leapt at Stan. Mortal panic filled Stan's body, and he rolled away as quickly as he could. By the time Blade hit the ground, Stan was several feet away. The pawniard's arm buried itself deep into the dirt floor. He pulled it out as Stan struggled to his feet. For a moment their eyes met.

 _How am I supposed to beat this thing?_ Stan thought as he tried to ignore the pain in his ear and side. If Blade's entire body was made of metal, then how could he hurt him?

He suddenly realized what his only chance of winning was.

Blade came at him again, arms raised. For the second time, Stan did not run. Thankfully, Blade was not expecting it this time either. Stan jumped away from one slash and rolled out of the way of the other. Once again, Blade fell off balance. It would take him several moments to bring his arms back up. In a fight, those moments might as well have been an eternity.

Stan took the opportunity. He rushed forward and drove his paw up toward the pawniard's left eye. At the last moment, Blade realized what was happening, and he tried to pull his head back but the claw was already there. Specks of blood flew through the air. Blade howled in pain and fell to his knees, pressing a forearm to his ruined eye.

Stan knew that he could not give the pawniard a chance to recover. He scratched Blade's chest as hard as he could. This time the steel skin dented under the weight of the attack, and a small gash opened up to show the red flesh underneath. Stan scratched twice more. Blade fell to the floor, groaning, and did not rise.

The other five were not cheering anymore. They looked shocked. Their eyes went from Blade to Stan.

Dane was the first to stand. His usual grin stayed on his face, but there was murder in his eyes. Sig rose a few moments later. Char got up and danced away from the others. For some reason the charmander went into a corner on the other side of the room. Spike looked around nervously, seemed to realize that he couldn't get out of this, and sighed. Then he rose as well.

"That was unwise, friend," Dane said. "Blade would've given you a quick death. Now you have me to deal with."

"I haven't begun to deal with you yet," Stan said, growling. Blood flowed out of the wound in his side, and his ear was still throbbing.

"This isn't necessary," Sig told him. "Surrender, and we'll pretend this never happened."

Stan barked out laughter. " _You_ surrender, and maybe I won't kill you."

Sig grimaced, and came forward to fight him. Dane and Spike joined him.

Stan had never fought three pokémon at once before. He realized very quickly that it was impossible. Whenever he tried to focus on one, the other two attacked him from behind. The third only had to focus on dodging while the other two did as they pleased. Stan took a punch from Spike, and then a scratch from Dane, and then another punch, and a scratch from Sig, and a scratch, and a scratch, and a punch. Soon he was bleeding all over. The gash in his side was now joined by a dozen others.

A fireball shot through the air. It missed Stan by several feet and exploded against the wall in a shower of sparks.

"Careful with that!" Sig yelled over at Char.

 _So that's their strategy_ , Stan thought deliriously. _Three melee attackers and one pokémon using elemental attacks._

He realized suddenly that Dane, Sig, and Spike were forcing him into one of the room's corners. That was bad. If they got him there, he would have no way to dodge. Every time he stepped backward, he stepped closer to his death. He tried to break their formation by rushing them, but Spike caught him and pushed him back. _I'm going to die,_ he realized. That made him angry.

A second fireball came. It passed right by Dane and only narrowly missed Stan. For a moment he was able to feel the fire's burning heat. Then it soared passed him and, once again, exploded against the wall. Somehow he knew that the third fireball would hit him.

" _Enough fire_!" Dane shouted. "The three of us can handle this!"

"You're done," Sig spat at Stan. "Look at you! You can barely stand. Surrender now, or we'll kill you."

"Come and try," Stan muttered defiantly.

"Gladly." Dane's eyes were now wild with bloodlust. He came forward with his claws raised, ready to strike.

It took nearly all of Stan's remaining energy to leap out of the way. If he had not been moving, the third fireball would have hit him. Instead, it slammed directly into Dane's chest. Half of the servine's body went up in flames. He began to scream, first in surprise, then in panic, then in pain.

" _No!_ " Char cried. "I just wanted to _help!_ "

Dane danced in agony as the fire spread up his chest and down his legs. He clawed at the flames and pulled away chunks of his own flesh. Sig hurried away from him. Spike stood in place with his eyes locked on his burning friend. From his seat, the red-eyed eevee shouted, "Put it out! Put it out!" And the servine was screaming too but his words were incoherent. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about Stan.

He would never get a better chance to take out the charmander. With a sudden surge of strength, Stan whirled around and sprinted toward him.

Char was frozen in place, watching Dane with horrified, guilty eyes. He didn't even notice Stan's approach until the two were only a few feet apart. Char scrambled backward, trying to get away, but the wall was behind him and he had nowhere to run. Stan pounced. As he flew toward him, he saw a fourth fireball forming in the charmander's mouth, but before Char could release it the eevee plowed into him and got his jaws around his throat. Stan tightened his grip and reared his head back. Boiling blood filled his mouth and burned his tongue. He spat it out as the charmander choked and died.

When he turned back around to face the others, he saw that the others had somehow managed to put the fire out. Smoke still rose from Dane's body and he lay unmoving on the floor.

Spike was still staring down at the servine. Sig, however, had recovered from his shock. "This is your last chance to surrender," he said. "You're one against three."

"Soon I'll be one against none," Stan boasted. He knew that Sig's offer was only a bluff. With half of his enemies dead or dying, the three who remained were not likely to be merciful. Besides, the most dangerous foes had already been dealt with. Adrenaline filled Stan's body. He actually had a _chance_ now.

"Have it your way." Sig came forward to try him.

Perhaps he thought that Spike would join him, or perhaps he truly believed that he could defeat Stan on his own. Either way, he was wrong. It took only a few seconds for Stan to send the other eevee to the ground and climb on top of him. Stan scratched and scratched and scratched and scratched. Nobody tried to stop him. After a long time, one of his claws broke off against an exposed rib, and the pain broke Stan out of his rage. That was when he noticed that Sig was no longer moving.

Stan rose, drenched in blood, and looked to Spike. "Your turn," he growled.

For a moment, the riolu just stood there, frozen, eyes wide with fear. Then he turned and ran out of the door and into the forest.

It was not until then that the red-eyed eevee seemed to realize how badly things were going for him. He stepped over to the female kit and placed a paw on the back of her neck. He said, "Kill me, and she dies too."

Stan charged forward and ripped his throat out.

Afterwards, he saw that the other had failed to keep his promise. The girl was crying and covered in the red-eyed eevee's blood, but she had not been harmed. That was good, Stan supposed.

A few feet away, the male kit rose. He looked at Stan, obviously afraid.

Stan ignored him. The adrenaline was leaving his body now, and his wounds were growing more painful with every passing second. He could feel blood trickling down his ear from where Blade had split it.

The girl was rising too. Once she was up, she shuddered, started to sob even harder, and ran to the boy that Stan had guessed was her brother. She was almost completely coated in thick, dark blood, but the male did not refuse her embrace.

As she cried into his mane and stained his fur red, the boy said, "You saved us." His eyes did not meet Stan's, but he was looking over in his direction.

 _I saved myself_ , Stan thought, _I never cared what happened to you._ There was no point in telling them that, though. There was no point in saying anything to them at all. Stan turned away from them and took a step toward the middle of the room. The fire under the pot of soup was still burning. Blood and death filled the room, but in that moment their scents were overpowered by the food.

"Where are you going?" the girl said between sobs. "We still need you. I want to go home."

"Forget home," said the boy. "I just want to _live_. Wherever you're going, take us with you. Please. We'll never make it out there on our own."

"Why should I care?" Stan said. "I'm not your blasted mother. Find your own way." He took another step toward the soup…and then his legs went out from under him, crumpling as though they were made from wet paper. His wounds had caught up to him now. He was done. His energy was completely spent.

The girl rushed to his side. "You're hurt."

"You're a clever one, aren't you?" Stan said through gritted teeth. " _Yes_ , I'm hurt."

The boy appeared next to the girl. He said, "You're bleeding all over. You need a pokémon center really badly."

Stan grimaced. "Yes. How far is the nearest one?"

"We passed a city two days ago," said the girl. "A really big city. They'll have a really good pokémon center, I bet. We'll take you there."

"Yeah, we'll take you there." The boy's words carried a tone that Stan did not like. "But only if you promise to take us with you afterward."

"To take us _home_ ," the girl said.

Stan hated being told what to do. When he growled, the kits backed away quickly.

"I should refuse. Then all three of us will die."

"You won't refuse, though." The boy had found some courage, and he stepped back over to Stan. He had a determined look on his face.

Stan could not help but laugh at this sudden display of boldness. "No. I won't refuse. I'll take you home afterward. I promise." What he failed to mention was how little he cared about keeping promises.

"What about that riolu?" the boy asked. "Will you hunt him down?" Thinking about that seemed to excite him.

"And the pawniard," said the girl. "The pawniard is gone too. Will you hunt him?"

Stan whipped his head around to inspect the room, and he saw that she was right. He had been hoping that Blade's injuries were enough to kill him, but apparently that wasn't the case. _He must have slipped out during the fighting_ , he thought. _Well, that's just great. My list of enemies is getting bigger and bigger. Oliver, Caro, Spike, Blade._

"Do I look like I'm in any state for hunting?" Stan said. "Get me to that pokémon center. Then we'll worry about those two." I'll _worry about those two,_ he thought. _I don't know what you kits will do. Won't be my problem._

Stan used the boy's back as a stepping stone to get himself standing again. His legs were wobbly and achy, but he was able to stay on his feet. The kits stayed close to his sides, supporting him.

"You really _are_ hurt badly," the girl said.

The boy frowned. "She's right. We need to move quickly. Are you sure you can last for two days like that?"

"I'll be fine," Stan said. "Two days isn't so long. And I'm strong." The cuts and gashes that covered his body continued to throb. "But we'll get through this forest as fast as we can."

"Let's get going, then," said the boy.

"No." Stan looked at the soup. "Help me over there. I need to eat."

The kits obeyed. When they reached the pot, he shook them away and dipped his muzzle into the soup. It was watery and scalding hot, and it tasted like victory.


End file.
